Artemis Fowl and the Games of Hunger
by Take-2-Pay-4-1
Summary: Artemis Fowl II traveled in time to find out that the future is not exactly bright. The young irish genius ends up in a Country called Panem, in which Districts separate the land into fields of expertise and in which the terrible Hunger Games are religiously held each year. Not to mention that the odds do not appear to be in his favor as a day called The Reaping Day nears.
1. Prologue

_«Searching for file: Artemis_Fowl_and_the_Games_of_Hunger…»_

_«Requested file found. Opening File...»_

_«Greetings, I am D.E.X.T.E.R, before you can proceed with reading this top secret manuscript I will have to inform you that the author's do not claim copyright, as the two original stories taken in use are the creations of Eoin Colfer (Artemis Fowl) and Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games).»_

_«Next, I shall need to inform you that the timeline for the events in this Fictional story is set after "Artemis Fowl and the Lost Colony" and "The Hunger Games" taking into consideration that the events from "Catching Fire" and "Mockingjay" never happened. Now that you have been properly informed you may proceed in reading the file, but keep in mind that this file and all other documents found on this server may contain spoilers, proceed at your own risk.»_

_**Prologue**_

_**A few months after The Lost Colony…**_

Artemis Fowl turned to the small demon warlock seated in his office. Of course, that demon was known as N°1…

"So… I called you here to answer a simple question; do you think there would be any possibility of, say… me traveling to the future?" Asked the raven-haired, fourteen-year-old boy.

"Why would you want to time travel anyway? You know how last time turned out," the demon replied, thinking that Holly would most likely disapprove of the secret meeting he was having with Artemis.

"Yes, I remember perfectly well, N°1," said Artemis. "As to why…" A small smirk stretched on his lips. "I'm curious about the future. I know you said that it would be very difficult to travel to a place or time you do not have any experience of, but there must be a way."

N°1 turned away from Artemis's stare, ready to cover his ears and sing in his head just to make sure not to get in trouble… Artemis was smart, but he was indeed troublesome… _Could he handle the future?_ Probably. _Would N°1 help him get there? _Unlikely.

"N°1," Artemis leaned forward in his chair. "This is very important. I don't know as much as you about time travel… I am not asking you to take me to the future, but only to tell me if you think, or know of anyway it could be done." The demon warlock bit his tongue. The look on his face was all Artemis needed as an answer… The boy frowned. "You don't know any then? Disappointing," he leaned back in the armchair.

N°1 was getting more and more claustrophobic in Artemis's office. _I won't be able to say no… No! I have to say no! _The poor demon was thorn between his friendship with Artemis and the possible punishment he could get if he ever dared to help the kid. Fidgeting, he let out one quick breath. "Yes, it is possible!" And he bit his tongue again. He had already said way too much.

A smirk formed over the 14-year-old's lips. "And do you know under which conditions it would be possible?"

"I can't tell you! Holly and Foaly could find out and blame me and force me to be interrogated by the LEP and put me in jail –" He stopped midway through his stream of thoughts, trying to calm down.

"N°1, I can assure you, they would do no such thing…" Artemis said calmly. "Think about it; what I could achieve if I went into the future. I could find cures for illnesses that we have no way of dealing with now; endless possibilities, N°1, trust me."

The demon tried to raise an eyebrow, without much success, perhaps due to his lack of eyebrows. "You? Finding cures for diseases?" He exploded in a fit of loud laughter. Artemis frowned and N°1 stopped laughing. "Since when do you care about other Mud people?"

"Oh, why I've always cared, N°1." Artemis gave the small demon a rather intense look with his mismatching eyes. "Are you suggesting that I do not care for my own race?"

"No, no, no…" Why was N°1 so terrified of that boy at this instant? "I meant that…" He paused searching for the right words. "Your relationship with those of your own race are not exactly the friendliest ones…" He chuckled in an attempt to ease the mood in the room.

"That might be true… But I am not immune to any of the deadly diseases, N°1…"

"Are you ill?" The small warlock's worries could be heard through his voice. Was Artemis dying? "You know that the future can be very unstable, right? Maybe you will not even be able to find what you are looking for once you get there… You know, paradoxes…" N°1 tried to put some space between him and the human to think more clearly. "Would you promise me that Foaly and Holly would not know about this _if_ I helped you?" The demon cocked his head; maybe that a promise from Artemis Fowl was not the most honest of things… "No," he said. "Never mind. Don't promise it, swear it!"

Artemis gave him a smile. "I swear to it… Foaly and Holly will not know."

Chills went down N°1's spine. "What are you trying to do exactly? I mean, I _do know_ that you want to go to the future, but how must I help you? _If _I decided to help you, that is."

"If I am to go into the future, I will need something to anchor me back home, or at least that's what you told me," explained Artemis.

"That is correct," confirmed N°1. Putting one and one together was rather simple; the demon would act as the anchor point. "I suppose I could have the abilities to do that…" He said, borrowing a suspicious tone he had once heard in a human police movie; not wanting to let Artemis know that his manipulations were extremely effective on him.

"I know you'd have the abilities… So, will you assist me?"

"_If _I were to assist you, you would have to own a fair amount of magic yourself. Do you?"

"Dare I say…"

"We're still talking hypothetically here –" N°1 giggled at the fact that he had used the word "hypothetically." _What a funny word, _he thought. "You would need to concentrate on where you want to end up, and since it's in the future, and that no one really knows what's in there, you would have to take a wild guess."

"I am rather good with imagining what the future could be like, I am sure I'd do perfectly fine."

"And then, I would have to get into my position of power," the demon rested the weight of his whole body on his tail. "And send you a special dose of magic… Like this…" Artemis felt the magic rush through his veins and reach the base of his skull. "Then,you would have to concentrate on the magic and on your destination…"

The pale teenager nodded. His face changed to what Juliet had named the _focus-face_, which was a pretty self explanatory name.

Before he could even realize what he had done, N°1 was standing alone in Artemis Fowl's study.

_Oh-oh… What have I done! What. Have. I. Done? Holly is not going to like that! I'm going to jail! _The demon could do nothing but panic as he figured out that he had just sent Artemis into the unknown.


	2. Chapter One, Panem

**Part I, "The Departure"**

**_Chapter One, Panem_**

Artemis blinked, trying to clear his vision. I took a few seconds to realize what had just happened. The boy stood up, not exactly sure of where he was located in time and place.

There seemed to be many factories in the sector. Actually, a factory placed above three gears was printed on the flags suspended around the region. "District 3," read Artemis.

"Hey!" Artemis turned around, searching for the provenance of the sound. "What are you doing here? You should be working!" Two men in white uniforms approached him, weapons in hands. They both looked at Artemis and evaluated his age. "You should be in school, young man," one of them corrected their previous statement. The two armed men were now close enough for Artemis to read their name tags.

_Peacekeepers?_ Well that was certainly not from his time period, thought Artemis. The boy's mind then began to race. How could he use these two men at his advantage? The answer came to him rather quickly, _mesmer_, of course. N°1 had filled him up with powerful magic, so it would not be too difficult…

The Peacekeepers were about to arrest the young boy when his enchanting, multi-layered voice reached their ears. They froze and listened to the voice, ready to do anything it could request. "Take me to the closest digital database you know of. Now," it said.

The Peacekeepers nodded and led Artemis though countless empty streets, escorting Artemis to a massive building.

A flight of stairs later, Artemis was inside the District 3 Justice Building, facing the town's mayor.

Artemis eyed the man before him. The mayor seemed to be a charismatic man in his mid-forties. Artemis then looked around the office, searching for clues that could eventually help him create perfect lies and alibis, if need be. After having quickly scanned the room, Artemis noticed three cameras; no blind spots, one computing device that looked like a computer and he had taken note of the mayor's name; Mayor Theravan Hewatts. As far as Artemis was concerned, that could suffice…

"And who do we have here?" Mayor Hewatts asked one of the Peacekeepers.

Artemis cleared his throat in order to get a good eye contact with the mayor. "Leave the room at once, and bring the Peacekeepers with you. The entrance of this room will be forbidden to everybody but me until I instruct you otherwise. Do not tell anybody of my presence here." The _mesmer _worked rather well on the man, for he immediately obeyed, leaving Artemis alone in the office.

Not losing a second, the boy got to work. He sat before what he identified as the mayor's computer and began his research.

After a few minutes of getting used to the futuristic software, Artemis got comfortable. As it turned out, the technology of the future was extremely similar to the People's of Artemis's time.

Searching through the files and programs of the device, Artemis managed to find what he had been looking for; archives. Of course, in _his_ time, the files were not archives, for they were yet to be written…

The thing was that the Fowl heir had recently came upon an extraordinary opportunity in a very unstable stock market. The market in question could fluctuate in a matter of a few hours, and though the benefits could be great, the loss could be even greater… Not wanting to turn down such an offer, but not wanting to risk his family's freshly restored fortune, Artemis and came up with a simple plan; to manipulate N°1 into sending him to the future in order to find the archives of the stock market. This way, Artemis would have an idea as to when the market would be at its most profitable.

Once he found the answer he was looking for, Artemis let his curiosity guide him as he clicked on the more recent archives… After all, he had to know where and when he had landed.

He clicked on a file, anticipation going through his system. _What will humanity come to?_ He wondered, smirking, though his smile began to fade away, leaving a frown behind as he read the information he found.

Extracts of news articles had eventually became protected documents, which had then turned into top-secret files as time passed…

From what Artemis read, terrible natural disasters had struck the planet and made the sea levels rise until humanity became gravely threatened… Eventually, the weak and dying society found refuge in the remains of North America, which would soon be known as Panem.

_Bread and circuses,_ quoted Artemis from the Latin saying, as he got more and more intrigued about this nation.

On one of the articles, Artemis found the map of a distorted North America. The territory had been divided in fourteen regions; thirteen sectors called the _Districts_ and one other part baptized the _Capitol._

The young boy read on, learning that each of the districts had eventually evolved into industries responsible to serve the needs of Panem… Or more precisely, the needs of the Capitol… The districts then realized that they were slowly becoming slaves of the Capitol and they did what an oppressed society had to do, they rebelled.

Artemis let out a gasp as he read the statistics of the rebellion's casualties. Not only had the war led to the complete destruction of the 13th District, but it had also lead to an even stronger dictatorship from the Capitol, as well as the creation of a grotesque spectacle. From the victory of the Capitol had bloomed the _Hunger Games_.

Viewed as both a way to demonstrate their power, as well as to entertain themselves, the Capitol had created a televised game show featuring twenty-four children between the ages of twelve and eighteen, who were to fight to the death until one of the teenagers would emerge as the victor. Apparently, the victor was a way to represent the Capitol's generosity.

Feeling slightly nauseous about that last detail, Artemis scrolled up in the documents. The newest file on the computer was one announcing the official dates of what was called the _Reaping_ of the 80th Annual Hunger Games

The boy grunted in disgust, suddenly feeling ashamed of his own race. How cold anyone let these kinds of things happen during eighty years?

He shook his head and closed the files. When he would get back to his own time, he would make sure that humanity never came to this. He would, however, make sure that the stock market would triple the amount of money he would invest in it.

Sighing, Artemis made his way through the doors of the mayor's office. He would have to find Hewatts and revoke his previous orders before going back to the 21st century. It was not an absolute necessity, since Artemis could not care less about a mayor not being able to step into his office, but Artemis felt generous today, luckily for mayor Hewatts.

Finding him at the end of the hallway, Artemis immediately made eye contact with the mayor. "You are now allowed to go in your office," he said, pushing a dose of _mesmer_ through his voice.

Theravan Hewatts stared at him blankly and nodded. "I'm now allowed to go in my office," he repeated, matter-of-factly, in a calm voice.

Snapping out of the trance, the mayor's dark grey eyes became clearer and were still aimed at Artemis. "And who do we have here?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. There was no time for Artemis to answer, for with one snap of the mayor's fingers, the two Peacekeepers beside him all turned to the Irish boy. "There is an intruder in the Justice Building! Get him." Hewatts pointed to Artemis and the Peacekeepers obeyed.

Needless to say, the intruder, better known as Artemis Fowl ran.

He navigated through the corridors and rooms of the building at the best of his physical abilities – which were not too great to begin with – in order to get a few seconds of tranquility, just enough time to reach N°1's magic signal and go back to where he belonged. All he needed was a room that could be easily accessible, as well as easily locked and blocked.

Two more Peacekeepers added themselves to the previous ones… Artemis would soon be circled.

There was absolutely no way he could run passed the men in white uniforms, and no way for a quick _mesmer_ either, for the Peacekeepers were too busy looking at the possible paths Artemis could borrow in order to escape them.

Taking one quarter of a second, the boy evaluated his options and thought of what his allies would do.

Butler would shoot or hit the Peacekeepers; Foaly would get one of his precious bugs to distract them, whereas Mulch would use his own body to create an unpleasant diversion… And Holly… If she had a Neutrino close by, she would do like Butler, but unarmed, she would probably use her shield, or make herself as small as possible. Alas, Artemis's body was not exactly made to hit and shield, nor was his digestive system built like a dwarf's.

Artemis scanned the corridor as he worked out a plan. Hoping with all his heart that his physical abilities would allow him to be fast enough, he ran straight towards the wall in front of him, as the two pairs of Peacekeepers approached him.

The boy praised himself as he ran along the wall. His tactic had had the advantage of taking the uniformed men aback, as well as giving Artemis one small chance of escape; in approximately six meters, was a door. Artemis had to take in consideration the probabilities of it being locked or occupied, but later decided to give his luck a try due to the circumstances.

Making himself as small as possible against the wall, he took the situation literally one step at the time. The Peacekeepers were closing in. If Artemis could not make it to the door, he would have to prolong his stay in District 3.

Artemis felt a hand on his back as he took his final step, his own hand wrapping around the door's handle. He pushed it open and closed it back up as soon as he got in.

With a sigh of relief, the boy took awareness of his surroundings; a janitor's closet apparently. Taking whatever was available in the small, dim lighted room, Artemis blocked the door. His barricade would not last for long, but it would be a sufficient amount of time.

Artemis closed his eyes, searching for N°1's magic signal, which he instantly felt. He concentrated on his magic, ready to leave this place in which kids slaughtered one another for a dictator's entertainment and lust for power.

A loud knocking sound came from the door. The Peacekeepers were already starting to force the door open.

Artemis took a deep breath, focusing on N°1's anchor point. He felt _it_, beaming and calling for him. The only thing Artemis had to do was to answer the call and let his body and mind enter the time tunnel. The boy felt the air stir and had the vague sensation that his atoms were being lifted… But that only last for a split second.

The strange feeling of being pulled down by an abnormally strong gravitational pull forced Artemis's eyelids to open. There was some type of static noise inside his head, right where his magic expressed itself. It was almost as if the power he had gotten from the People had turned into a radio that could not receive signals properly.

Shaking away the uncomfortable scratchy noise, Artemis tried to get into the wormhole again, only to be getting back to the same result.

Another powerful blow hit the door. "Get out now and we will not harm you," said one of the Peacekeepers, which, ironically, was the one hitting on the door.

Desperately, Artemis attempted to get back to his own time again and again, but if was of no use. After each try, the dizziness and static noise informed him of his failure.

The door of the closet flew open.

"There is no point in trying to hide," the mayor stepped from between the Peacekeepers, which were blocking the door frame. Hewatts looked straight into Artemis's eyes. "Now, tell me… Who are you and who sent you here?" He asked with an authoritarian tone.

Artemis had to think particularly fast, finally one thing he was good at. He cleared his throat, already calling the _mesmer_. "I am Artemis, you son," he began, recalling the small details he had noticed in the mayor's office. "Following both your wife's and my parent's death, you adopted me."


	3. Chapter Two, District 3

_**Chapter Two, District 3**_

_A barricade; a thick and heavy wall pushing back on anything that might had wanted to take it down…_

Artemis opened his eyes, letting the dizziness vaporize from his brain. He sat up in his wooden chair, in a room of the mayor's house, which had been accommodated for him. He looked at the rising sun through his window and frowned.

Ever since last evening, he was a permanent resident of Panem's District 3 because apparently, even _mesmerized_, Theravan Hewatts was taking his adoptive father's job very seriously. He had made a point of following the proper procedure and provided Artemis with an official District 3 citizenship, approved even by the Capitol.

Of course Artemis had planned to delete the file! The only thing was to find an opportunity to delete it without jeopardizing his cover, or his stay in District 3.

"Artemis?" Called a voice from somewhere in the mansion. "The breakfast is ready."

The boy got up. The least he could do at the moment was to go along with the course of the day.

He made his way to the kitchen, not paying attention to the Peacekeepers on duty. At least now they were off of his back and actually gave him some respect. Artemis briefly wondered if this was what it would feel like to be jailed… It's not as if he had never given a thought about that, especially after his _businesses_.

Stepping into the kitchen, Artemis was greeted by one of Hewatts' assistant, as well as a meal. "Did you have a good sleep?" Asked the woman as Artemis sat at the table. By his reflection on the glass tabletop, the answer to this question could have been easily guessed.

Artemis shrugged. "The room was comfortable," he said with his usual cold politeness.

He ate his breakfast, feeling the assistant's eyes on him. As soon as he finished, the lady handed him a backpack. "Mayor Hewatts was very concerned about your integration time in his household. He wanted you to be ready and in shape for school."

School… Yet another problem to deal with…

Barely giving the boy the time to get ready, the assistant pushed Artemis outside, towards a vehicle guarded by a Peacekeeper.

The car ride lasted approximately fifteen minutes, or two failed attempts to go back to the past. The vehicle had stopped in front of a grey building, not that different from every other grey building of District 3. The only noticeable distinction was that a tall metallic fence surrounded the institution, because not only had Artemis been forced to go to a school from the future, but the school was a _public_ one.

Students were walking in the building, stacks of books and various types of electronic projects in hand, while others who did not seem to care very much, were hanging outside, under the shade provided be the very few trees in the yard.

The mayor's assistant informed Artemis that he would have to stop by the secretary's office to get his schedule and then told him that one of his "father's" employees would come to pick him up at the end of the day. _That seems normal enough for me, _thought the boy as the assistant opened his door.

Artemis climbed out of the car and followed the students who were entering the building. Luckily for him, the secretary's office was the first one after the main doors.

"Artemis Fowl," He told the woman behind the office's desk.

She raised her glasses over nose and browsed through a pile of paper. Who knew that people from the future would still be using simple papers rather than digital files?

"Artemis Fowl, advanced classes?" She replied with a tone reflecting nothing but pure ennui.

"Yes, I shall be taking the advanced classes," he confirmed sending her back her tone. He was more than one hundred percent positive that even in these classes, he would still ace.

The secretary sent him a strange look as she handed him his schedule. In all of her career, she had never heard such an accent.

Artemis took a mental note before heading for his class; he would have to mimic the district's accent from then on.

"As you all know, tomorrow will be a big day for each and everyone of you." The teacher, Ms. Adata paced in front of the room. "Which is why we have this special class today. Anyone knows what we will be speaking of?" The pathetic try at adding a touch of lightness to her voice was lost in the silence of the room. Artemis took a quick glance around. Everybody knew what she was speaking about, but no one was willing to voice it.

A brown-haired boy finally raised her hand, "Tomorrow is Reaping day," he said trying to sound stronger than he actually felt about the event. Though no one else was aware, that one boy's name would be in the Reaping way too many times for the odds to be in his favor.

"Yes Chip, the Reaping," nodded the teacher. "Tomorrow, two people, a boy and a girl from your age ranges will be selected to go to the Hunger Games."

Artemis swore he heard a collective sigh, and he had been part of it.

"We have this speech every single year," whispered Chip, from the back of the class, amongst many other discouraged whispers.

Ms. Adata turned on a projector and a map of Panem appeared on the front wall of the room. "Today," she began, "We will talk about the creation of the Games and the government of Panem…"

By the end of the class, two of the youngest students had left the room in tears and the rest of the pupils were dragging their feet on the ground, trying to calm down their rage or sadness. Only Artemis and one other girl, a pale brunette with a calm voice, remained.

"I do not see why we are not allowed to learn about what was before Panem…" She said as she walked up to the teacher's desk. Artemis had been curious about this statement and had decided to stick around the classroom to hear a little bit more.

"It simply is, Ms. Natho. The Capitol created a very specific curriculum for each of their districts, I only teach what I am allowed to."

"Aren't we missing on something? Or shouldn't we at least know where we come from? I found this pile of old books, dating from the 20th to the 21st century and I realized that Pan –"

"I am sorry Silyah." Said the teacher. "I cannot help you with that and I would not suggest you to get too interested in the past. You have no idea how dangerous it can be." Ms. Adata looked at Artemis. "Do you need help with anything?" She asked, wanting to change the subject.

The brunette tightened her hold on her books and walked out of the room, a disappointed, bittersweet smile on her lips.

Artemis shook his head and left the classroom. For the first time in so long, he actually had learned something in school. He had learned that people from the districts knew about the unfairness of the Hunger Games. The only thing was that they were completely powerless against it.

After a small recess, a bell rang, announcing the beginning of a new class. Of course, Artemis was already seated at his desk, along with a few other studious pupils. The teacher stepped in the room, and undertook the task of drawing a diagram on the board; a circuit diagram to be exact. It was rather straightforward, actually.

"Today we're going to start with a simple diagram. Can anyone tell me how many amperes would go through ammeter _A2_?" Said the man once every student was had arrived.

Artemis scanned the diagram. Two resistors were connected in parallel to a power source, along with another wire with no resistor on it. The first ammeter, A1, near the power source had been labeled as reading six amperes, therefore –

The girl with the brown hair, Silyah, was the first one to raise her hand. "Zero amperes would go through ammeters A2, same thing for A3."

"Why would that be?" Asked the teacher, not confirming, nor denying her answer.

Artemis raised his hand and cleared his throat. "Amperes always travel through the path that does not offer any resistance, when there is one in a circuit, that is. The wire on which A4 is attached has no resistor; therefore the six amperes from A1 would travel through A4. It is a short circuit."

"That is excellent!" Said the teacher. "Now, let's move on to actual circuits. All the material is at the back of the classroom."

Artemis smirked. There was nothing like a good lecture to lighten up his mood.

When noon arrived, Artemis was actually feeling relaxed. The challenges of the advanced class, which were not that challenging, had had the advantage of earning him some praise.

Ironically, the only thing that caused a shadow to hover above his otherwise good mood was that the dinning area of the school was outside, in the sun.

He stepped into a shadowy corner, sitting at a small wooden table, ready to take his dinner out.

"Argh," growled someone from behind him. She was so caught up in whatever she was doing that she barely even noticed him when she sat at the table. "Why won't you work?" She said to her project. Her gaze went to Artemis, just as blood rushed to her face. "Mind if I sit here? It is my usual place. Out of the sun." She tucked a strand of copper-brown brown hair away from her pale blue eyes.

"Do you mind if I ask what are you working on, Ms. Natho?" He had recognized her instantly from his two previous classes.

"It's nothing…" She mumbled. Closing a pale hand, as pale as Artemis's skin, around the device. "I mean, it's just something that I am trying to restore." She sighed and opened her hand. "I am not supposed to have this, but you know, music chips are rather expensive and I knew that there was an alternative…"

Artemis looked at the object. It was a music player, probably dating from a few years after Artemis's present time.

"I know that it is nearly an antiquity, but I can't seem to be able to make it work… And yet if I had the necessary materials, I would be able to make my own programs and devices…" Silyah offered Artemis the music player. "I don't think I ever got your name," she added.

"Artemis," he replied, taking the small object between his fingers. "Ah, I see where the problem is… May I?" He took a small tool from the kit Silyah had brought with her and began to work. The wiring was almost perfect, but the power source was not in a great shape. "You would not happen to have the charger with you, would you?"

To the girl's amazement, five minutes were all it took for Artemis to make the music player fully operational, although there was music save on its hard drive.

Restoring the music player had been just as easy as the rest of the day. District 3 was mostly centered on technology and science, and these two things had not changed drastically since Artemis's time.

By the end of the day, the boy had managed to be one of the best students of the District 3 Academical Institution. He could almost feel at home really… If only he was not stuck in a time he never was supposed to belong in…


	4. Chapter Three, The Reaping

_**Chapter Three, The Reaping**_

''Artemis?'' Mayor Hewatts had sent one of his staff members to go wake up the boy if necessary. The young man in question was already up, wondering what this day would bring; most likely tragedy according to most teenagers at school.

The staff lady opened Artemis's blinds and went to his wardrobe. She picked up a simple a dark blue dress shirt and a pair of well fitting grey pants. She placed them on the edge of Artemis's bed and then cleared her throat. ''This would be suitable for Reaping Day.'' She said, expressionless, before leaving.

Artemis walked from the desk to the bed, looking down to the clothes. The future was not so different fashion-wise, he thought. Fortunately, he got to reside in the Mayor's house, which was a main advantage. He was well clothed and fed, while most of the people he had met in District 3 lived in uneasy financial situations.

He picked up the outfit and put it on. It was not his usual Armani suit, but it was all right.

Pacing in the mansion, he finally ended up in the kitchen, where he took a small breakfast. He did not feel so hungry... Something in the air made him feel nervous and uncomfortable.

Mayor Hewatts eventually appeared in the kitchen's doorway, two stylists following him.

''Artemis,'' he said. ''It's time to go to the city square.'' Behind a stylist was the same woman who had come to give him his clothes. ''Follow her,'' the Mayor told him with a smile full of empathy. Now that he had a son, he knew what it felt like to fear for someone's safety.

Artemis judged best to do what he was told and followed the staff member. He walked outside of the Mayor's House, which was just beside the city square.

When his eyes adjusted to the sun filled view, they went huge in disbelief. The quiet little town he had landed in had completely transformed overnight…

Thousands of citizens filled the streets, all heading towards the square. Camera crews were everywhere, ready to film all the action and beside the steps of the Justice Building, giant screens, amongst other television equipment, had been placed.

Parents looked worried, kids seemed curious and teenagers were all very nervous.

''Follow that line.'' The staff lady told Artemis while pointing to a long lined filled with pale-looking teens. The lady left once again, leaving Artemis on his own.

In the line in front of him, Artemis could recognize a few faces from school. He tried to look farther in the queue to see what was waiting at the end of it… No luck for him, he would have to wait and see.

When he finally reached the starting point of the line, four people sitting at a table greeted him. They asked him for his name and Artemis replied it coldly. From all the rumors he had heard at school, these people were not too friendly. The man in front of him grabbed his hand and pricked his finger, raised an eyebrow and shrugged. He pressed Artemis's finger against a blank piece of paper. ''You just moved here didn't you?'' The boy nodded, seeing no point in inventing a story, and the man directed him to an area where tense fourteen-year-old boys stood.

About ten minutes later, people began to arrive on the steps of the Justice Building. Among them were a camera crew and some technical assistants. Three chairs were placed in the entrance of the edifice; on one sat Mayor Hewatts and on the other, was a lady wearing in an electric blue wig with purple streaks. _Let's forget my previous statement about future fashion… _thought Artemis with a humorless smile.

The lady was wearing a blouse with puffy sleeves, the same colors as her hair. Her blue PVC skirt, which was strategically cut on the sides to show the purple lining underneath, was brushing the floor. She looked like an extreme version of the pop-stars from Artemis's days with her pale blue lipstick and fake paper eyelashes.

"Wow, we got Effie Trinket as an escort this year," whispered sarcastically a boy behind Artemis, mostly to try to ease the mood.

In the third chair, a short man with black hair, ashen skin and glasses that looked too small for his face, was seated. Artemis had seen his face before; he recalled that he had seen his picture once yesterday, when his teacher was speaking about District Three victors. The man was probably Beetee.

Someone signaled the trio that it was the time to begin the ceremony, the Reaping. Most teenagers breathed heavily, calming their nerves, as Mayor Hewatts rose and walked to the podium on the center of the makeshift stage. The man retold the History of Panem, from the day that North America had been destroyed by natural disasters up until the day when the Hunger Games were created. Artemis sighed, mourning his home.

The rules of the Hunger Games were formally explained; in much more details than how they had been told at school. It was unbelievable that two persons from the audience were soon to be under those twisted conditions.

Mayor Hewatts then introduced Effie Trinket on the podium. People applauded politely.

"Welcome, welcome to the 80th Annual Hunger Games." She waited for the crowd to go silent, which only took a second. "Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be _ever_ in your favor!" She smiled at the crowd. "It is a honor for me to be in District Three today! The weather here is quite lovely!"

She told a few personal stories about the District before moving towards one glass ball containing thousands of paper slips. The official Reaping was about to begin.

"Ladies first!" she proclaimed. She slid her hand in the bowl and mixed the papers. On one of the giant screens passed the worried faces of District Three's teenage girls. She slowly grabbed one piece of paper and carefully, on her seven inch high heels, she walked back to the podium and opened the folded piece of paper.

The extreme silence was broken by the whistling of the microphone. "Silyah Natho!" She said way too joyfully in the microphone.

Artemis knew this name.

The brown haired girl gasped and people could clearly see that she was shaking as she walked to the stage. She took deep breaths and grabbed the hand Effie offered her to climb the stairs. "Ladies and gentlemen, Silyah Natho!" Silyah straighten her back and shoulders. "Now, before we make this official, does anyone want to volunteer at her place?" Nobody stepped forward, not one person even made a sound. Effie whispered something in the girl's ear as Beetee got up to shake hands with the brand new tribute. Camera crews took pictures of them.

Half of the audience had relaxed, knowing that they would be safe.

"Now for the boys!" Effie walked to another glass ball, her hand hesitating between papers. She finally drew one name out and went back to her microphone, her heels still clicking on the floor. She smiled, looked at the crowd.

"Artemis Fowl!"

Artemis felt his heart stop. Some people in the crowd began to whisper. _Who was he?_ Only the few persons that knew him from his short passage in District Three's school gave the raven-haired boy sympathetic looks. "Don't be shy," said Effie in her microphone.

Artemis had fought goblins, fairies and even the mafia. This should not have made him so anxious, but it did. People made him a small path as he walked to the stage. "There you are!" Effie's voice began to sound way too enthusiastic. An army of camera focused on Artemis.

Keeping his emotions in check was something Artemis had taught himself long ago; not looking as terrified as he actually was wasn't so hard. He reached the stairs, slowly walking them up to the podium. Effie introduced him and asked if there were any volunteers. Artemis had only been in Panem for two days and a few hours, nobody knew him enough to take his place in the arena. The Mayor looked into his adoptive son's eyes, a defeated frown on his face. He walked to the podium and recited the Treaty of Treason.

In the mean time, Artemis wondered why his name was selected, it was no coincidence, that he was certain of…

Effie instructed Artemis and Silyah to shake hands. Artemis had seen Silyah before at school; they had had a conversation and a few encounters. Though he may have not completely known her, she had proven to be clever, that he knew for sure.

Silyah's shaky hand touched Artemis's. "I'm sorry, the odds were not in our favor apparently," she whispered in an equally shaky voice.

"Apparently..." Artemis replied, his own voice strangely calm.

The national anthem of Panem played through the speakers beside the giant screens, photographers took the official pictures of the two tributes from District Three and then the two teenagers were sent inside the Justice Building.

Too soon for his own taste, Artemis was sent in a small, but luxurious room. A Peacekeeper instructed him to wait there until he could say his final goodbyes. Artemis wondered who could possibly visit him.

Someone knocked softly on the door. Artemis got up and opened it. "Mayor Hewatts?" Something shiny was in the Mayor's right hand. The left one was carrying a bag, which contained the clothing Artemis arrived in Panem with.

"I thought that I could bring you a token from home, something you will have the right to bring along with you in the arena…" The Mayor opened his right hand. Artemis's chain with Holly's golden coin was in his palm. "I will bring this outfit to Ms. Trinket so that she can give it to you on the train," he said.

"Thank you," Artemis replied.

A Peacekeeper instructed Mayor Hewatts that he had to leave after three minutes of awkward silence, which the mayor interpreted as stress. "Good luck son," he said giving him a military salute.

Lonely minutes passed before another Peacekeeper entered the room, "Follow me Mr. Fowl," requested the tall man in a white uniform. The Peacekeeper led him to a futuristic version of a car, inside of which were Effie, Beetee and Silyah, as well as a driver. Artemis sat beside the young girl.

From outside the window, he could see armies of reporters and photographers desperately trying to catch a glimpse of the two tributes.

It took exactly ten "Effie-filled" minutes for them to reach the train station, where even more reporters were waiting. "Don't answer the journalists, they are not officials from the Capitol, they could twist your words." And on this word of advice from Effie, the group got out of the car. Camera flashes almost blinded them, but they boarded the train safely.

The two tributes were sent to their respective rooms to settle before dinner. Silyah, who had finally stopped shaking, commented on the beauty and efficiency of the train's design as she walked to her's, trying to think about anything but the Hunger Games.

Artemis went to his apartment and sat on his bed. In his pocket, he reached for his golden coin and threw the chain around his neck. He decided that he would try to reach No. 1's anchor point once again.

He concentrated on the magic left in him... There was nothing to do... He tried for a long time, but he was still stuck in the future.


	5. Chapter Four, The Tributes

_**Chapter Four, The Tributes**_

With an irritated grunt, Artemis got out of his room. He could not stand being in the suite anymore, watching the scenery flash by the window between failed attempts at getting back home and the dizziness that came with them. Besides, it was almost time for dinner.

"Oh, hello, Artemis!" Said Effie as Artemis stepped in the train's kitchen wagon. The woman's electric blue lips were exceptionally distracting in contrast to her pale skin. "Are you enjoying the train?"

"Well, it does travel rapidly…" Replied Artemis.

"And we don't even feel any movements, I think it's just wonderful!" She turned around at the sound of the wagon door opening. "Hi, Silyah! You arrive just in time for dinner." She smiled brightly.

Artemis looked at Silyah, she didn't seem as sickly pale anymore. Artemis could nevertheless understand her reaction to the Reaping.

The two of them settled at the table where Beetee was already seated. "Hello, Artemis, Silyah," the man nodded at them. Artemis gave Beetee a short sign of the head while Silyah whispered a shy _hello_ to the man.

"We are lucky this year, the stylists won't have too much to do on these two. They look stunning, don't they?" asked Effie to the District 3 winner to fill up the silence.

Artemis wasn't sure if that was meant to be a compliment, so he decided not to say anything. Silyah furrowed her brows, but smiled, as if incredulous.

"Is there anything that we should know about the Games before our arrival to the Capitol?" she asked, deciding to go to a more important subject right away.

"I take it that both of you are more of the clever type rather than being physically skilled; that's our district's weakness." said Beetee, picking up his fork. "And that is exactly the reason why one of you could possibly win the Games," he continued as he took a piece of bread from a tray.

"I must say, you are very optimistic," Artemis pointed out.

"Why of course," replied Beetee. "That is how I won my Games. Brain over brawl."

Artemis nodded slowly.

"Smart choices can certainly save you from the death traps that could be set in the arena," said Effie cheerfully.

Artemis was taken aback; it was almost sinister to see how jolly Effie seemed to be, considering that she was referring to a game in which only one person out of twenty-four would come out alive. He wondered if there might be something wrong with the brain cells of those in support of these atrocities.

Silyah looked down at her food, thinking that Effie's comment sounded too… Disconnected from reality. "Even if we can outsmart the others, we will surely be attacked one day. How will we be able to reply?" She asked. Her younger brother could bring her down if he wanted to, so she did not even dare to think of the damage trained tributes could make.

"We are currently heading for the training center, there, you will have to concentrate on physical and fighting skills. Just a little bit of logic can suffice as far as the survival techniques go, so I don't think you will need to spend much time in those stations," explained Beetee. "But you should not neglect them," he added, just to make sure.

Artemis frowned. Fighting and survival were not really abilities he possessed. Well, he did survive many tricky situations, but his own time seemed so easy compared to Panem. Not to mention that back in Ireland, Artemis had precious allies; he even considered them as friends.

"You should not worry yet, I didn't know a thing about survival before the Games, and I came out alive, granted I was slightly older than you two, but age should not matter. Just think about Finnick Odair. When he won, he was fourteen, your age, Artemis, and one year younger than you, Silyah," said Beetee, midway through a bite of freshly baked bread.

Artemis nodded. After all, he was not that weak. He had survived the People, the Russian mafia, a goblin rebellion, time traveling through Hybras and a maniac pixie. Those were not small merits.

"I think I'll retire now," Artemis said after a while, getting up from the luxurious table.

Silyah looked up towards him as he was about to leave, but her gaze quickly went back down on her plate of food. She would not follow him; she was too hungry and there was so much good food on the table! What could she tell the boy anyway?

"Why do you leave us? You have not even seen the dessert yet. We have an assortment of truffles coming straight from the Capitol!" Effie looked at Artemis with strange, huge eyes.

Truffles… Artemis winced slightly. Those sweets made him think of Opal, and she was not a person he really wanted to think about at the moment. "No thanks," he said, giving the woman a polite smile. "I am not so fond of truffles."

Effie shrugged. "If you want to, I brought the recordings of the other district's Reapings. They are in the television room in the left wagon." Effie pointed to a door on which was written _Television Room_, pretty self-explanatory.

"Yes, I think I'll do that," agreed Artemis, leaving the cart.

Silyah watched Artemis leave and quickly finished the food in her plate. She went to the dessert tray and tried to find something. She took two cups of hot chocolate from the platter. "I will go watch the Reapings with him," she said quietly.

"Do you want us to join you? It would be a joy for me to see some familiar faces from District 12," declared Effie, nearly clapping.

"If you want to… Or we can call you when we will be at District 12," answered Silyah, slightly horrified by Effie's bright attitude.

* * *

Artemis sat down in the sofa after figuring out how to work the "television" system. He began the video. A stage similar to the one set up in District 3 showed up on the screen.

Then, a shadow appeared in the corner of the room. Silyah walked towards Artemis and sat on the other end of the couch. She handed him a cup of hot chocolate. "You may not like truffles, but that's not a valid reason to turn down free food," she laughed.

Artemis actually gave her a smile, which wasn't something he gave many people. "Thank you, Silyah."

She smiled back. "No problem." She looked towards the screen. "Let's see our opponents…" She said without much enthusiasm.

"Yes…" Artemis nodded, once again turning his attention to the District 1 Reaping.

They watched as the District 1 escort drew out the girl's name from the glass bowl. A short brunette stepped on stage and immediately, someone volunteered for her.

The new District 1 female was called Geneva Crass. She was not that tall, not that petite and something about her seemed feline. Maybe her flamboyant red hair…

The lady then picked the boy's name and a triumphant-looking young man appeared on screen. He walked to the podium as if he had just won the best prize ever. When the escort asked if anyone wanted to volunteer, he shot the crowd a deadly glare. No one would steal his spotlight, his place in the Games.

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "How can they actually _want_ this?" He asked to no one in particular, just for the sake of stating it.

"They are the Career Tributes. They are trained, ready and willing to fight. It is so sick to think that to be picked during the Reaping is such a big honor in Districts 1, 2 and 4," answered Silyah.

Artemis shook his head in disbelief, "They volunteer for death…"

"In their heads, they volunteer to show that they are confident and powerful," Silyah rolled her eyes. She pointed to the screen, to the two tributes from District 2. They radiated the very spirit of survivorship and victory. "Crelin Spooks and Elon Jokter, the District 2 Tributes…" Whispered Silyah as their names appeared on the television.

"Some names…" murmured Artemis. Well, he wasn't really the one to talk, was he? Artemis was not a very common name either.

"We're next." Silyah sighed.

The raven-haired teen suddenly looked even paler than he already did. "Oh, joy…" he didn't sound very eager.

"I made a really clever outfit choice! I looked fabulous, quite… Fashionistic!" Artemis and Silyah almost spilled their hot chocolate at the sound of Effie's voice. The woman sat between the two tributes. "I see that I arrived just in time."

Silyah suppressed a laugh, nearly biting a hole in her cheek; she was still not used to hearing Capitol accents. Fortunately, or unfortunately for her, the young girl's face appeared on screen. "Oh my… I looked like a fool. Just look at me, shaking my way up on stage."

"You can hardly be blamed…" said Artemis, attempting to give her a comforting look behind Effie's back. It was amazing that he was able to see the girl at all, with Effie and her outfit between them. Her sleeves were nearly as huge as the couch for crying out loud.

Now, it was Artemis's turn in the spotlight.

"You looked very calm and composed!" smiled Effie. "You made a really good impression."

Silyah nodded, but she was observant enough to see the hidden terror in Artemis's eyes. She could not help but to turn towards the boy to look into his actual eyes. "Heterochromia?"

At first, Artemis looked a bit puzzled, then remembered that he had Holly's left, hazel eyeball. "Oh. Yes…"

District 4 came into view on the giant television. The "lucky" tributes, Aquilna and Harbor Pearl were cousins. The odd thing was that Harbor had volunteered for the Games.

"They don't look like they are from the same family…" Pondered Effie. "Just look at this girl, she has a rather good fashion sense, but the boy…"

Artemis couldn't help but to shake his head. He had never met such a phenomenon as Ms. Trinket. "Fashion and blood lines are completely unrelated. Not to mention that not all cousins look alike," he remarked.

Effie shrugged.

"The District 5 tributes don't look so strong…" Whispered Silyah. Novia Imous was a petite dark-haired girl and Lynik Reah looked so shy and undersized under his thick glasses.

Up to date, the only tributes that were truly worrying Artemis were those from District 1.

"So far, the Reapings have been pretty similar to the other year's," contemplated Effie, matter-of-factly.

The Capitol woman was about to get bored when the District 6 escort picked the girl's name from the glass ball. "Lotus Bree," the escort proclaimed. The small and skinny girl climbed on the stage. Despite her young age, she did not look devastated, nor overly confident. She just stood there, strong.

The escort had not even yet asked for volunteers when a dark-haired girl with curls made her was through the crowd. "I volunteer," she said, voice firm and eyes empty of any fear. She went to the stage and Lotus hugged her.

"Thank you," the young girl told the new one.

"No need," said the girl. "Go back to your mother now." On that note, the older girl went to stand next to the escort, looking at the crowd, seemingly eyeing every one of them.

"And may we know your name?" Asked the woman.

"Silver Canemon," she replied, eyes like stones. She was not covering up any fear; she just looked relaxed, as if she didn't mind taking someone else's place. It was not a way to get attention; it was a juvenile sacrifice.

"Well, that was quite a twist of event," murmured Effie nonchalantly.

"Look at the way she stands," Silyah began analyzing the situation. "She looks strong, but you can clearly see that there is something wrong. If you look through the surface, she could almost seem… beaten, for lack of better words."

Artemis nodded, approving Silyah's observation. He had noticed some faint red lines sticking out from under the collar of Silver's dress. Old scars.

The camera swept through the crowd and stopped when it reached a couple, the District 6 girl's parents, most likely. The man looked angry; he was arguing with the woman. "You will really let her leave like that?" Artemis read his lips. One could think that he was worried about his daughter, but truly, he was only mad because Silver would leave for the arena wearing around her neck one of the only priced belonging the family owned. One silver diamond studded cross.

Silver shot the man a look of disgust mixed with mockery, then the escort picked the male tribute, Jehl Amnel.

The rest of the Reapings were, as Effie would describe them, pretty ordinary, though the woman's face did lit up when she saw District 12 on screen. "Oh, look at this! It has been such a long time since I last saw Peeta! He was elected mentor this year," Effie looked sincerely happy to see the boy with blond hair standing next to the femalee tribute.

The two kids that were Reaped were Scpenser Ross and Quartz Dahlai. They looked hopefully towards Peeta as they got their pictures taken. The boy seemed really strong and by seeing the little blond girl's eyes, we could see that she could be able to survive at least for a little while in the arena.

Artemis leaned back, sighing before finishing his hot chocolate.

"I don't want to sound pessimist, but that was not as entertaining as I hoped," Effie frowned and got up. "Anyone wants truffles? There are still some left in the kitchen wagon."

Artemis shook his head. "I need some time alone."

"Do you want us to go get you before supper?" Effie asked him.

"Yes, please do," he said before leaving the room.

Silyah followed the boy. She managed to reach him before he arrived in his room. "Are you alright?" She wondered genuinely.

Artemis stopped, turning back to face the girl. "Yes. Why?"

"You look distracted…" She stared at the boy with a good-humoured smile. "You have a hot chocolate mustache, and I am sure that it is not a new look that you are aiming for," she let out a laugh.

"What?" It surprisingly took a few seconds for Artemis's brain to realize what Silyah had just said. "Oh… I guess I…" He wasn't too sure of what to say, which was new to him. He could not help but to think that Holly would be laughing so hard, she would be rolling on the floor had she seen him like that.

Silyah took a napkin from a food tray passing by and offered it to him.

"Thanks," he took the napkin from her, wiping away the liquid that was over his lip. The girl smiled. This was the first moment she felt somewhat happy and amused since the Reaping.

Artemis gave her a rather awkward smile. "I will see you at supper."

The girl nodded and turned around. Behind her, she heard a door opening, then closing itself. She looked back towards the door behind which Artemis had just disappeared, hoping that he would not hear her exploding in laughter as she walked to the living room wagon.

Artemis sank down on his bed, finally letting the blush attack his cheeks. What an embarrassement. He took his head between his slim fingers.

He could save the world from pixies and humans alike, but talk to a girl… No. Holly would have found this widely amusing, he was sure of it… And so would have Mulch, and probably Foaly too… But his friends were not there and if _the odds were not in his favor_, he would never see them again…

* * *

Beetee scribbled a few notes on a block of paper. He had to think about strategies. "Effie?" he called.

The woman went to sit beside him. "Yes?"

"Tell me everything you might know about our two tributes."

Effie thought about it for a few seconds. "They are both quite good looking. This could bring many sponsors."

Beetee wrote that down, though he was not too sure about the utility of this information. "Anything else?"

"I believe that they are comfortable with each other. And I noticed that they were both very observant."

"You actually noticed something about them?" Mumbled Beetee, rising an eyebrow, a smile on his lips.

Effie sighed. "Why yes, I did." Beetee was just joking, but the woman seemed offended. "I'm actually very observant myself, mister!" She spat as she crossed her arms and pouted.

"Calm down Effie."

"I will calm down when I will desire to!" She got up and headed for the living room.

_She is so strange…_ Thought Beetee. "Capitol people," he murmured, laughing.

* * *

When Effie reached the living room wagon, she found Silyah who was looking at the ever-changing scenery through the large window. She sat in front of the girl.

She was so quiet!

"So… What do you think about Artemis?" Effie asked the fifteen year-old District 3 girl.

She turned slowly towards Effie. "He's special," Silyah smiled.

"Special?" Wondered Effie.

"He is extremely clever and he looks mentally strong, but it's obvious that the Reaping shook him up."

"Why is that?"

"Haven't you noticed? When he left the room?"

Effie thought about it. He sure had looked tired and out of place, but that was the norm for future tributes.

"I can't believe you missed that," said Silyah pointing to her upper lip.

"Seen what?" Effie loved gossip. Silyah had triggered her interest.

"He had a hot chocolate mustache," Silyah shook her head, amused.

Effie laughed along with her. "I had not noticed!"

Their laughter filled the silence for several seconds until it eventually died down.

"This year's Hunger Games are going to be _special_, as you would say," commented Effie. "You might want to go see Beetee, by the way. He is planning some strategies for you guys."

"I will," the girl got up and asked Effie where was her mentor.

"He had not moved since we boarded the train," Effie rolled her eyes; she had almost forgotten how mad Beetee had made her when he told her that she was not _observant._


	6. Chapter Five, What Comes Ahead

_**Chapter Five, What Comes Ahead**_

The next morning, Silyah woke up from a surprisingly peaceful dream. She yawned for a good fifteen minutes before finally deciding to get out of bed.

She then opened the drawer at the front of her room and looked at the clothing inside of it. She picked a black shirt with three-quarter sleeves and threw on some simple black pants make of denim. Around her wrist, she tied a charm bracelet, her token from home.

She left her room in a good mood, which seemed strange to her considering her possible, imminent fate. She crossed Artemis' room, which was right beside hers. She stopped, staring at his door, wondering if he was still asleep.

She knocked lightly on his door… No answer. Slowly, she twisted the handle. If Artemis was still sleeping, someone would eventually have to wake him up, after all. "Artemis?" She said softly. "Time to wake up."

The raven-haired boy was still asleep. His hair was not as stiff as the day before, falling into his forehead and making him look younger than his age. Silyah almost felt bad about waking him up, but she really doubted that he would enjoy Effie Trinket as an alarm clock.

Artemis moved a little bit, revealing something hanging around his neck… Some sort of jewelry… The brown-haired girl stepped closer to Artemis, intrigued by the chain around his neck. The boy moved again, causing the item to slid out from between the sheets. It was some sort of coin with one single and clean hole at its center.

Silyah took another step. Why would a District boy carry a golden coin on a chain? Her fingers were tempted the brush the surface of the pendant.

The boy's mismatching eyes shot opened. "Silyah," he gasped in surprise, making the girl jump. "Are you trying to give me a stroke?"

Silyah jerked back her hand, just as surprised as the raven-haired boy. "I'm sorry. I just came by to wake you up," she said, feeling the blush rising on her cheeks.

Artemis sat up slowly, running a hand through his messy black hair. He probably looked like a troll, right now.

"Well, hum… Good morning, I guess," quickly said Silyah as she got back to the door. She barely had the time to reach the door handle when it flew open.

"Time to wake up, we have a big, big, big day today!" Though the early hour, Effie was already sporting her bright blue wig and lipstick. Artemis was so taken aback he barely noticed her attire. "Oh, you are both already up! Good! You can join us for breakfast when you will be ready," she smiled at the two tributes and left the room, only leaving behind the sound of her heels on the floor.

Artemis blinked the sleep from his eyes. "Would you mind letting me get dressed alone?" He asked Silyah, lifting an eyebrow.

"Grumpy in the morning, aren't you?" Silyah gave a quiet laugh and followed Effie. Artemis shook his head. This girl was nothing like those he knew.

He got out of bed, took a quick shower and got dressed. He opted for a pastel blue shirt and buttoned it up, leaving the top three buttons opened. _Why not?_ He thought.

Artemis combed his hair, not bothering to smooth it back. It was a travel day, after all. Effie might have tried to object, but he was not overly concerned by what the "fashionistic" woman thought about his hair.

The Irish boy then walked to the kitchen wagon to find the rest of his fellow travelers already seated.

Beetee greeted the boy and pointed to the empty seat at his side. "I spent all nigh making a plan for your debut in the Games. I would need your opinions."

Artemis nodded and sat down in the empty chair.

"First off, the Training Center. Once you will get there, I suggest that you start with the survival stations. When you'll feel ready to do so, move on to the fighting technique stations. In between your trainings, I want you two to make some allies."

"Allies? I thought that everyone would be against everyone…" Artemis raised an eyebrow at Beetee.

"Oh, but, you won't get too friendly with them… You just use them to keep you alive," replied Beetee with a sombre smile.

Artemis nodded slowly. This made perfect sense. If you teamed up with someone whom you most likely would have to kill at some point in the Games, it was better not to befriend them too much. It would be hard enough for Artemis to take the life of someone he didn't knew; he could not dare to think about killing someone he might have built a trust in. It would be as good as impossible… Plus, he was not too keen on making Holly's words from the Spiro case come true. She had compared him to Spiro, a cold-blooded killer, and he had every intention to prove her that he was not like him. Would that point of view change during the next weeks? Artemis hoped with all his heart that it would not.

"You watched the Reapings yesterday, so do you have any preferences for possible allies?" Beetee asked the two tributes. "They must be complementary to your personalities. Perhaps people with good fighting skills… Maybe Silver from 6, Kalheb from 9 or the ones from 12?"

Effie suddenly turned her attention to Beetee. "Kalheb? Wasn't he the handsome one with the dark curls?"

Artemis rolled his eyes, lifting his eyebrow, partly to Effie's question, partly to add on to the look he was sending Silyah. They both really wondered what was going on inside of that woman's head.

Silyah looked back at Artemis with a similar, but much more amused look. Her gaze then went to Beetee, becoming very serious in the blink of an eye. "Silver looked like a fierce competitor, I don't know if she would need and ally… The ones from 12 seem like plausible choices, but Kalheb… I don't know."

Effie gave her a stare that seemed to mean, "Excuse me?" and quickly gained back her composure. It was their choice after all. The beauty of the District 9 tribute probably intimidated them. Or they did not want Kalheb to take all of the viewers' attention.

"I am not sure either," said Artemis. "I might agree on the District 12 tributes… Silver seems to be strong on her own and Kalheb looks like too much of an attention seeker to me."

Effie sighed, giving up her lost cause. So much for beauty in the Hunger Games…

Beetee cleared his throat. "Anyway… You will have plenty of time to get to know your fellow tributes in training." He looked in his notebook. "Now, on to your public personas… What are your main character traits?"

_Well,_ thought Artemis. His best friend – whom he had met when he had kidnapped her – was a fairy police officer. He schemed his way through life, he had saved his father from the Russian mafia, traveled in time and battled demons, which meant that he was determined… Or completely out of it. But that was certainly not what Beetee wanted to know about him.

Meanwhile, Silyah had also been thinking of how to describe herself. "I am a scientist and an artist," she had replied. "Knowledge and art are very dear to me, that's what I grew up with."

"During your Reaping, you looked quite shy, but now that we are talking face to face, you seem like a very sweet and deep person… If you feel comfortable with that description, try to exploit it as much as possible during all of the public events," Beetee scribbled what he just said in his notebook as Silyah nodded at him. "What about you, Artemis?"

Taking the time to choose his words, Artemis began. "One could say that I am a prodigy and that I have… a rather dark sense of humor," the boy thought about it and realized that most of the things he knew about himself were related to the People.

"You don't like attention seekers, right?" Silyah mumbled under her breath, smiling.

Artemis gave her a rather intense look, raising both of his eyebrows at the same, as to say, "_I heard that one_." Burying her face in her waist-long hair, Silyah laughed some more.

"Alright," Beetee brought them back to the strategies. "Artemis, I see your persona as the very clever and almost mysterious guy."

Mysterious, indeed… Artemis could not help but the smile his infamous vampire smile.

_Clever, mysterious and slightly scary…_ Thought Effie, looking at the boy's smirk.

"Good," Beetee nodded. "Now, for the arena… You must know that there is a very strong force field around it. If you touch it, you might die of a cardiac arrest, however, force fields are a great way to cook food if you don't mind your meat to be well cooked."

Artemis's face turned into an expression resembling a grimace when he heard this. He was not too found of the idea of cooking food on a force field, especially since Beetee seemed to alluding to the fact that they could also try to cook their enemies…

"Now, if you don't want to bump into the force field, here is a little District 3 secret; you would have to scan the horizon and search for a shimmering spot. That will be the force field." Beetee scratched "force field" from his "to-mention-during-a-meeting" list. "Also, the arena, as you are well aware of, will be filled with dangers. From the very beginning, when your platform will lift you in the arena, you will have to quickly take in the surroundings and get away as soon as you can."

Artemis was listening, taking in every word Beetee said. For some reason, this briefing reminded him of Foaly. Somehow, it felt reassuring to find people he could relate too in this crazy world, even if the resemblance was only a small one.

"Do you think that we should grab anything at the Cornucopia?" Wondered Silyah at one point.

_Cornucopia?_ Artemis had yet to be aware of that thing.

Beetee scratched his chin. "If the survival material is scattered around the Cornucopia, then you might want to get a few things. If you can, find a backpack, a knife or a water bottle, but don't risk your life for anything fancy… And remember to stay on your platforms until the 60 seconds countdown is over… You would not want to blow up, right?"

Blowing up… Artemis thought about it… If it was anything like the sonic fairy bombs he had used back in the restaurant in Knightsbridge, he'd better stay in place for those 60 seconds.

Some train employees brought the group their breakfast and they ate, talking about the risks of the arena. Speaking about it strangely made the situation more real, yet easier to deal with.

"Oh, and before I forget," Beetee said between two mouthfuls of a strange fruit. "If you two were to meet in the arena, feel free to help one another. I have a feeling that you both get along quite well… But you better separate before you are the two last tributes standing…"

Artemis nodded. He knew perfectly well that it would be the best thing to do. If Silyah and he were to end up as the two last ones, as unlikely as it might be, they would have to fight each other and Artemis was pretty sure that Silyah could be able to take him down with ease… But still, it might be better to get killed by someone you might have trusted than by some brutal guy who only killed for amusement.

The breakfast now over, Effie has sent the two tributes to their rooms in order to dress in a way that would be more suited for their arrival to the Capitol. The rest of the train ride would be all theirs.

* * *

Artemis had changed to a white shirt, now buttoning it all the way up. The trousers he had chosen had on their sides, a line that seemed to faintly glow.

After smoothing back his hair, he went to the living room wagon and sat by the window, watching the landscape as it flashed by.

Silyah joined him a few minutes later, wearing a pair of slim-fitted pants and a long-sleeved shirt made of black lace over a purple tank top. The girl looked at him, from the tip of his shoes to his slicked back raven hair. "Very elegant but, you should… Button down a bit." She said firmly.

"Button down a bit?" Artemis gave her a strange look.

"Why not?" She smiled, shrugging.

"Perhaps because I don't want to," he replied.

"Okay, I have to admit that this is a fair reason, but we are going to the Capitol! The city of luxury and excess and… Well, you should loosen up a bit, mustache boy," She smiled once again, nearly wanting to wink at him, though that would be pushing it.

Artemis gave her a look, which was not amused. He was rather grumpy, really, but it amazed him how cheerful Silyah was considering what was coming ahead of them. "How can you be this happy?" He asked her as she sat in front of him.

"That would be because I live in the past and in the present rather than in the future… If I am to die soon, I want to enjoy every peaceful and happy moments life can give me."

Artemis was slightly surprised by the answer. For someone like himself, who literally was stuck in the future, thinking like that could not do much to him. Still, he could understand Silyah. She could be dying very soon… Though _she_ could have the possibility of dying in her own time, with the people she knew still alive to mourn her passing. He would most likely die too, only _he_ had not even thought about the consequences of his death. For all he knew, a time paradox might decide to backfire and destroy the planet, and that, Artemis told him, Holly would not have appreciated.

"No comment?" Asked Silyah, eyeing the boy who seemed lost in his thoughts. "You know, you have a really intense thinking face."

Artemis blinked, "I beg you pardon?"

"You have a very intense thinking face," she repeated. "Your eyes look centuries away…"

_Centuries. _The word made Artemis's mismatching eyes darken. He let out a weak sigh. He briefly wondered how many centuries had passed since he left. How long had he been gone? Was there even any Fowls left in this world apart from him? What of the People? Was Holly still alive? The more he thought about it, the worst it got. His facial expression never changed, but a deep pain flashed in his blue and hazel eyes.

"Hey, what's the matter?" She felt like reaching for his hand to try to comfort him, unaware that she was not supposed to see through his emotional façade.

Artemis's eyes snapped once again back to "the present." "Nothing… I am just feeling a little homesick," it wasn't even a lie, but he was certainly not talking about the home Silyah would associate with the sentence.

"So do I… But I like to keep in mind that home is where the heart is…"

_If only is was not so far away,_ thought Artemis, bringing one hand up to the golden coin around his neck, the reminder of the spark of decency in him. He highly doubted that decency had the power to save his life in the arena.

Silyah curiously eyed the strange symbols on Artemis's coin. "I've been thinking," she began. "If we were to meet in the arena, we could find a secret way to communicate. Just in case."

Artemis nodded, both glad to change the subject and thinking that it was a rather clever idea. "I think that I might know a way," he said with a secretive, mysterious smirk.


	7. Chapter Six, The Capitol

**Chapter Six, The Capitol**

In the horizon, the Capitol skyline began to appear behind the train's windows. Effie had gone through most of the wagons before finding Artemis and Silyah in the living room cart.

"Better get ready to leave the train!" She told them in her singsong voice. "We will arrive in the Capitol very, very soon!"

"Thanks, Effie," said Silyah as the two tributes got up to get the last of their very few belongings in their rooms. On their way, the turned to the raven-haired boy, "So, do you think you are ready?" She asked him.

"As ready as I can be when I am mere weeks away from entering an arena along with 23 other persons that will be forced to kill one another."

"I suppose that is good," she said.

Artemis gave her a half smile. "We better get ready before Effie decides to do it for us."

She eyed him. "By the way… You should button down a bit," she gave him another one of her joking, yet sincere smiles.

Artemis sighed. "That, Miss Silyah, is my choice." Then he closed the door of his room behind him.

Silyah rolled her smiling eyes and disappeared in her own room.

When she came back, Artemis was apparently still in his apartment. _Guys take so much time to get ready nowadays… _She sighed, digging a hand in the pocket of her leather jacket.

Silyah gently knocked on his door. "Don't you want to see the Capitol, Mr. Fowl? It is splendid from where we will be, or at least, that's what Effie told me."

"_Master_ Fowl," came the reply from the other side of the door.

"You haven't won the games yet, _Master,_" she spoke the last word mimicking his accent.

Artemis stuck his head out the door. "Very amusing today, aren't we?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Come on, you would not want to miss our stop right?" She said with a slight ounce of sarcasm in her voice.

Artemis sighed. "Fine, I'm coming," he closed the door behind him, adjusting the collar of his jacket. He had been surprised by his outfit choice. Leather was not usually something he would go for, but perhaps the fashion of Panem was rubbing off on him.

As soon as the boy got out of his room, Silyah nearly dragged him towards the closest window, where Effie and Beetee were already waiting.

"Wow…" voiced Silyah in a whisper, her eyes seemingly glued to the window. She took in the tall and colorful buildings scrapping the sky. The city was surrounded by water, which was reflecting the impressive skyline, giving the Capitol an impression of infinity.

Artemis agreed with Silyah's "comment," though he would not have used the word "wow." The Capitol architecture was unlike the one Artemis was used to. It did seem modern, but some old traces – inspired by the Ancient Rome, perhaps – were present everywhere, revealing a timeless prestige. The Capitol was nothing like the Districts. This was where the rich and successful lived… The rulers of the land of Panem…

Suddenly, their view was obscured. They were entering a long tunnel, probably the one leading to the train station.

About two dark minutes later, they were indeed inside the Capitol's railroad terminal.

Silyah could not believe her eyes. An enormous crowd armed with cameras was standing on the side of the massive high-speed train, which had started to slow down considerably. When these people – who were all dressed in a kaleidoscopic range of colors and styles – caught a glimpse of the District 3 tributes, they all began whispering, taking their pictures and waving at them.

"They are like an army of Effies," Silyah whispered in Artemis's ear. She could not help but to wave back at the bizarre people.

Artemis could not hide a smile. That was a pretty accurate observation, though to him, the crowd outside could have sported the outfits of a very popular singer from his days.

"Artemis?" Silyah turned her light blue eyes on him. "Could you promise me something?"

"I suppose that it would depend on what you will ask of me…"

"If my knees feel like giving up on me when we will disembark the train, please try to prevent me from hitting the ground," she gave out a laugh, but she really did mean her request.

"I'll do my best," came the reply.

The train stopped. Everything fell silent for a moment. Then, the doors opened. Screams and cheers from the Capitol citizens engulfed the silence.

Effie gently pushed the tributes towards the big doors. About a step away from them, Silyah felt the stares of the audience and felt ever so slightly shaky. Being a young man of his word, Artemis grabbed her shoulder. It would be both embarrassing and painful to fall there.

Faster than in the blink of an eye, Silyah's hand went to the boy's collar, "Got you," she said with a sly smile as she steadied herself, hiding the actual shaking of her hands by placing them on the railing of the train's stairs.

Artemis let down of her shoulder and looked down with a sigh. She had somehow managed to open up the first button of his shirt. "You've hardly known me for more than a day and you are already trying to strip me?" Artemis Fowl was known for his genius, not his sense of humor.

Silyah looked at him from the corner of her eyes. "I'm not trying to strip you, I'm just improving your fashion life," she whispered, imitating Effie's accent as she climbed down the stairs.

"Whatever you choose to call it," came the reply.

"Come on, you two! We have to get to the training center in time," called Effie from behind her tributes. She did not look so out of place anymore among those Capitol people. Once they were all disembarked, he escort took the lead of the group, taking them to a prestigious-looking black car with tinted windows. Seated beside Artemis and Silyah, Effie contemplated the obvious, "Artemis, your shirt really looks better on you when worn this way," a statement that earned her a discouraged sigh from the boy in question and a short nod from Silyah.

On their way to the Training Center, the tributes go to see the city they had looked at from afar. Colorful buildings bubbling with activity, strange looking people and more importantly, advertisements of the 80th Annual Hunger Games were everywhere they glanced. On one screen, they even saw their own car rolling towards the Training Center. They were celebrities, unfortunately acclaimed for the possibility of their deaths.

A colossal building then appeared into view, standing out from the rest of the Capitol. It was higher by several meters compared to most of the other skyscrapers in the area… Before the group was now standing the Training Center in all of its _Capitolesque_ glory.

Another gathering of Capitol citizens this time accompanied by official people of the press was at the foot of the Center. The District 3 car avoided the mob and drove towards an underground parking.

Once the car stopped, Effie thanked the driver and continued to push the tributes around the place, this time sending them towards an elevator. A lady all dressed in white pressed one button, sending the elevator to a place called _The Remake Center._

The doors barely had the time to open that a group of three people materialized in front of the elevator.

"District 3?" One asked.

Effie nodded. "They all are yours," she said, getting out of the elevator.

The three members of the District 3 prep team surrounded Silyah, indicating her to follow them.

"This is going to be fun… Or a real pain depending on what your perspective is," muttered Silyah as she was being lead away from the rest of the group, sending Artemis a look which seemed to say, _oh, you are next._

Effectively, Artemis's preparation team did arrive shortly after Silyah's departure, chatting quickly between themselves as they guided Artemis to their quarters. As if the situation was not worrying enough…

* * *

The three bizarre stylist assistants had stripped Artemis of his clothes and had handed him a bathrobe as soon as they had closed the doors behind them.

_Was every person in this country trying to get him naked? _The thought crossed his mind as one of the assistant got him into a shower.

The boy with bright, almost fluorescent yellow hair pressed on a series of buttons on the shower's door. Apparently, the Capitol showers were automatic.

After ever inch of Artemis's skin was scrubbed and exfoliated, the prep team sat him on a table, carefully eyeing him. "He's got extremely pale skin," said the only lady in the trio. "Like porcelain… Lovely."

The assistants gathered around him. One began to work on his hair, the other one on his face, while the lady took his hands and began to give him a manicure.

At this point, Artemis had never felt more like he used to feel at home. The boy felt only slightly creeped out by the team, but they mostly reminded him of the army of hairdressers his mother had hired some time ago.

Once they were done, the prep left Artemis alone in the room and way too under-dressed for his liking.

A slender woman eventually arrived in the room, carrying a bag – in which was probably an outfit – and a drawing pad. Her hair was tangled up into an intricate golden updo and her fake eyelashes were made of long and wispy peacock feathers. She had sharp features and minimal makeup. Her skin had a golden shimmer, just like her long yet simple dress. "Hello, Artemis Fowl," she said, observing him.

Artemis was just as observant towards the woman as she was towards him. _Oh, great…_ Another Capitol inhabitant looking at his almost naked body… He already liked this place…

"I will be your stylist for the entire period before the Games, and who knows, I might still be at your disposal after them," she rolled her "R"s whenever she pronounced one. "I am Ilranor," she studied every angle on Artemis's face. "You have a rather stunning appearance, you know," she added.

Artemis gave her a small smile. "Thank you," he replied, as polite as always. He was a Fowl after all.

Ilranor went through her drawing pad and stopped on one page. "Your friend's stylist and I worked on two collaboration pieces that would represent District 3, one for tonight's parade and one for the interview. This is what we came up with for you tonight," she showed him her design. It was a jumpsuit made entirely of black fabric, except for the shoulder area, which was silver. On that silver piece was what looked like spikes made of crystal. Ilranor handed Artemis the drawing pad and retrieved the outfit from the bag, presenting it to her tribute.

She then pressed on the hem of the left sleeve and all of the sudden, the outfit came to life. The crystal studs on the jumpsuit's shoulder pads glowed in various shades of purple, blue and white. All of the seam lines became illuminated; a white light looked as if it was traveling through the stitching, leaving behind a trail of purple and heading towards an infinity of blue.

She turned the suit off. "What do you think?"

It took Artemis's brain a few seconds to produce a reply. "It's unique. I've never seen anything like it."

"Do you like it?" She gave Artemis the outfit in exchange of her drawing pad. She let him study it carefully.

"Yes, I like it."

She helped him get in the suit and placed something in his hair, the two extremities of it resting on his temples. She stepped back and looked at her creation. "I think that you are ready," she smiled, revealing a set of teeth so white that they almost looked blue.


	8. Chapter Seven, The Parade

**Chapter Seven, The Parade**

"Let's go see Silyah, shall we?" Ilranor eyed Artemis once again, satisfied with how her outfit came out. Artemis simply nodded as the lady in gold turned around and opened the door of her quarters.

Just upon leaving the room, Artemis noticed something shiny under the pile of his previous clothes. Of course, it had been the golden coin Holly had given him. Quickly, he took it from underneath the pile. Closing the chain around his neck, he carefully hid it under his jumpsuit as he followed his stylist.

The slender woman walked swiftly among the sea of stylists and outfits until she caught sight of a door on which the number three had been painted. She opened the door for Artemis and motioned him to go inside. Ilranor followed the boy, carefully shutting the entrance door behind her, joining Silyah and her stylist, as well as Effie and Beetee who were already inside the room.

The young girl's long and naturally curly hair had been straightened and something that looked like a laurel crown was on her temples. She was wearing a more feminine version of what Artemis was currently wearing.

"Go beside her," excitedly instructed Ilranor to Artemis.

Artemis gave his stylist a nod before he walked over to Silyah. "You look stunning."

"So do you," she replied hoping that her concealer would hide the fact that her face was getting slightly red.

"Save the compliments for later and run your fingers on the hem of your left sleeves!" Exclaimed Silyah's stylist. The two tributes did as they were told and lit up their glowing outfits. "Now, Silyah, run your finger on the seam of your left shoulder. Artemis, do the same thing with the right one."

Artemis raised an eyebrow, but at this point, the strangeness of the thing did not surprise him. This world had not shown any signs of being normal yet and Artemis doubted it would ever do so. Therefore, he did as Silyah's stylist instructed him to.

"Alone, these outfits look really pretty and all, but as a pair, they are a miracle of science, thanks to your District," the male stylist continued. He turned the two tributes so that they faced a large mirror on the wall.

Silyah gasped and watched in amazement. She had seen her outfit light up when she had tried it on, but that was a whole other story…

A multitude of electric arcs had formed between Artemis and Silyah's shoulders, dancing between the crystal spikes, creating various shapes, but most of all, spelling an imposing "District 3" every now and then. The result was… Electrifying!

Artemis was also gazing at their reflection with fascination. The raven-haired boy starring back at him from the mirror could not be _him_, he thought. Obviously, it was him, but somehow, Artemis had troubles believing in it. They looked like Greek deities. Artemis's lips formed a smile. This was impressive. He had to admit it.

After all, the two teenagers had become human Tesla Coils! Or perhaps some types of electrical holographic devices…

"Your costumes are going to be quite a shocker tonight!" Commented Ilranor. "And, just for your personal information, these suits have no batteries. They are rechargeable by motion. If ever you feel like you are not shining bright enough, move a little bit and enjoy the sparks!"

"This is simply remarkable," said Silyah, looking at the two beautiful strangers of light in the mirror.

"I can't but agree," nodded Artemis.

"Fabulous!" Proclaimed Effie. "Very fashionistic!" She applauded the two stylists and looked at the time. "We better go to the carts, the show is about to start! Oh, and close your suits before the parade actually begins. Keep them a surprise for the other tributes."

Artemis and Silyah turned off their magnificent lights and Effie's high heels began to echo even in the small room. The group followed the stylists out of the preparing area to go to the one where the parade carts led by majestic horses were parked.

For the first time, the District 3 team would meet the other tributes.

They had barely landed a foot inside of the carts' room when they heard Effie squeal, not too loudly, but very obviously. They turned, letting their eyes fall on the object of Effie's attention. "He is even more handsome face to face," she whispered. Apparently, she had seen Kalheb Frotz.

Artemis could not resist rolling his eyes. Kalheb Frotz was maybe 18 years of age, with a faint tan and golden eyes. Dark brown curls covered his forehead and he seemed way too fond of the attention his female stylist gave him as she replaced a few of his locks.

"Look at the other District girls already trying to befriend him," sighed Silyah. Effie gave her a look, which Silyah replied to with a shrug and a nonchalant: "He's just not my type."

"Then, what exactly is _your _type, Silyah," asked Artemis with a hint of a smirk on his lips.

"I have no social life; I don't have a _type._" She rolled her eyes and smirked back at him. "Why would you even want to know?"

"Curiosity."

"Curiosity killed the cat," she laughed.

Artemis's smirk grew. "And satisfaction brought him back."

"Huh?" Silyah raised an eyebrow, honestly wondering what that last statement meant. She shook her head. "Do you want to go see some other tributes?" She suggested, trying to change the awkward subject.

Artemis gave her a sign of approval. "I see no reason not to. It's always a good thing to know the faces of the people you'll be hunting, or get hunted by, on a matter of perspective." He whispered to her.

They walked side by side among the carts, carefully observing everybody. The tributes were apparently already forming cliques; the Careers had found one another whereas most of the other tributes were just chatting calmly. The pre-game atmosphere had change a lot since the earliest Hunger Games… How strange was that? The tributes were actually talking and laughing and yet, in a few days, they would all be trying to kill one another.

A few tributes stood out of the group, however. Kalheb was surrounded by the girls and was trying to meet as many people as he could, even the Careers. In one corner of the room was a brown-haired girl, also observing the scene. Silyah quickly recognized Silver.

Silyah was about to ask Artemis whom he wanted to meet when four tributes walked towards them. Two were entirely dressed on colorful threads, much like string dolls. The other girl was wearing a long, stiff looking shiny black dress with some flame-colored accent pieces, which went rather well with her light blond hair. The boy from her District was sporting the same type of fabric, but on a suit. Their arms had been painted to look as if they were wearing gloves made of coal.

"District 8 and 12," whispered Silyah.

"You are those from District 3, right?" asked the girl in the black dress.

"Yes," confirmed Artemis.

The girl smiled. "Hi! I'm Quartz. District 12 as you could have guessed."

The boy in the black suit presented himself as Scpenser Ross, while the ginger-haired girl with dark blue eyes from 8 was Thea.

Judging by the two girls' looks, they could not be more than twelve years old.

"And I'm Cylan," said Thea's fellow male tribute.

Silyah shook the hands offered to her and introduced herself.

"And you are you?" Scpenser asked the boy who had remained quiet during the presentations.

"Artemis," he replied.

"Nice to meet you, Art," nodded the District 12 boy.

Artemis's face changed to a subtle displeased look. He did not enjoy pet names… Except, maybe for one… But then again, very few people had a close enough relationship with him to actually be able to use it.

Then, a supervisor announced that the supper had arrived, much to the tributes from the poorest districts' joy. They were all already craving for the limitless amount of delicious food from the Capitol.

* * *

After the supper, the Games' supervisors requested the tributes to go on their chariots.

Beetee was beside Artemis and Silyah's when they arrived. "When you will parade, just act natural," he advised them, not losing a second. "Whatever feels right to you, do it… Unless the Capitol would disapprove of it, of course."

The stylists quickly fixed the District 3 tributes' hair and activated their suits, helping them climb up in their chariot.

A countdown was displayed on the front wall of the room. When it ended, the national anthem of Panem began to play. The big doors of the chariots' room opened up to a cheerful and colorful audience and the horses started to move.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the wait is finally over! Live from the Capitol, I am proud to present you, the tributes of the 80th Annual Hunger Games!" A powerful voiced burst through the Capitol's City Circle. "I'm Caesar Flickerman, here with my pal, Claudius Templesmith, ready to be your eyes and ears for tonight."

"What a fine evening we have! Almost as fine as our brand new tributes, don't you all agree?" The crowd went completely wild as Claudius Templesmith spoke and as they caught a glimpse of the first tributes.

A few horse steps away from the doors, Silyah looked at Artemis. She was more stable on her two feet than how she had been during the Reaping and that was despite her high heels, which had been designed to be shaped like black lightning bolts decorated with circuit patterns.

Once they got through those doors, Artemis became aware that there would be no going back. Of course, there had been "no going back" ever since his name had been picked during the Reaping, but this was one of the few last steps before the dead end Artemis would soon have to face.

The girl slid her arm around his, almost as if she had read his dark thoughts and was trying to gain mutual strength. That one simple movement had caused their suits to glow brighter. The electric arcs flickered between their shoulders.

"Oh my! Look at these two! The tributes from District 3 are making sparks!" Caesar commented, making the crowd cheer even louder.

"They are electrifying the streets of the Capitol, ladies and gentlemen!" added Claudius before reciting a few statistics about District 3's previous tributes.

Meanwhile, Artemis had given Silyah a puzzled look. Physical contact? Not that it mattered much, thought the boy as the audience's wild cheering and applauding rang in his ears.

"Don't look at me like that! Just look at them and enjoy this moment!" said Silyah, almost euphoric. She smiled and waved at the people chanting their names, pretending that she was not extremely nervous on the inside.

Artemis did not exactly feel go with all the attention either. All of those eyes starring at him… He was a criminal mastermind for crying out loud! He was working in the shadows and he always would until he intended for the world to know him. Now, he was forced under the spotlight and it made him slightly uncomfortable.

Silyah squeezed Artemis's arm. She was way too good at reading his state of mind. "If you feel uncomfortable, try to imagine _these people_ in their underwear," she whispered, laughing.

The comment actually brought a smirk on his lips. To imagine the crowd in underwear might work for ordinary people, but Artemis Fowl II would certainly not do it.

About twenty minutes later, the twelve chariots made their way to the front of the Capitol's City Circle, under showers of affection from the audience and clever comments from Caesar and Claudius. The extended version of the Panem anthem came to an end and the crowd quieted down.

A short man with a white beard stood up from a balcony. He saluted the audience, one slim hand raised in the air. Caesar introduced him as the leader of Panem; President Coriolanus Snow. The man dropped his arm and adjusted his microphone. "Dear people of Panem," began the president. "Let the 80th Annual Hunger Games begin… And may the odds be _ever_ in your favor!" He articulated slowly, pronouncing each word with great care. The man seemed to be a formidable speaker, but by judging by the tribute's expression, he was the one to blame for many horrors and massacres.

Artemis did not know this man, but he already felt loathing towards him. How could the man supposed to run a nation even allow this kind of bloodbath to occur once a year? It disgusted Artemis deeply.

The president gave a speech similar to the one the Mayors of the Districts had given their people during the Reapings. He did however, put a special emphasis on the fact that the beautiful country of Panem would not be what it was were it not for the Hunger Games. Truth to be told, every single person living in the Districts of Panem could have made up a witty or sarcastic reply to that statement.

_If it weren't for the Hunger Games, _thought Artemis, _so many innocent young people would not have to die each year. _How the deaths of so many people could help a nation was lost to him. He saw absolutely no beauty in it.

By the look on Silyah's face, she did not appreciate either.

For a moment, Artemis met Silyah's eyes. How were people able to live like that? Those from Artemis's time would certainly not accept such a way of ruling governmental affairs. Though to be fair, war was not any better that the Games; in fact, there was not such a huge difference between these two things.

President Snow concluded his speech, demonstrating that he had been speaking in public for many decades before presenting the ceremony's special guests. "And now, I would like to present you this year's Head Gamemaker and his talented crew, the one and only Plutarch Heavensbee," he gave a nod to the people in question before leaving his place on the podium. Plutarch took his place, a small crew of Gamemakers following him.

For the past minute or so, Artemis had felt one particularly burning gaze in his direction and he had been looking for the source of it. Now, he knew. He had found a pair of deep brown eyes… Eyes he just knew too well. Only this time, they looked more human.

The familiar Gamemaker and the District 3 tribute gazed into each other's eyes for what seemed like a long instant. She cocked her head and smiled.

There was no place for doubt in Artemis's mind. _She_ was here, in Panem, in the Captiol and as one of the Gamemakers. Now, those death Games seemed easier to understand. _She_ was a maniac; if she was part of all of this, who knew what she might do to make sure she would enjoy watching his death on a big screen.

If it had not been for the audience watching her, she would have given the boy a mix of a disgusted and triumphant look, but that would not have been too pretty…

Artemis quickly glanced away, his mind beginning to race.

The Head Gamemaker introduced the members of his team and went back to his seat. The national anthem played once again and the tributes were paraded one last time through the City Circle.

Artemis had slid his arm around Silyah's, creating gleaming sparks; everything to wipe the brown-eyed lady's face from this retinae.

The Capitol's audience members were still screaming their lungs out when the last two tributes, Quartz and Scpenser from District 12, got back in the Training Center.

The door closed behind them and each of the twelve carts was suddenly surrounded by members of their official teams.


	9. Chapter Eight, About the Present

**Chapter Eight, About the Present**

"Well done kids!" Cheered Effie Trinket while the stylists helped the two kids in question to get out of their parade chariot. Meanwhile, the two jet-black horses that had conducted the District 3 tributes through the city neighed happily as Beetee scratched their heads.

Artemis gave a smile, "Thank you," he said to Effie. "The audience was…" Artemis paused, thinking of a word that was not too offensive to describe an audience cheering for the death of the people in front of them.

"The audience was very passionate," concluded Silyah for him. Artemis gave her a short look meaning: _thank you. _

"They had every reason to be!" Confirmed Effie, smiling.

_Oh yes,_ thought Artemis, _who wouldn't be passionate about the people they are soon to watch fight for their lives. _Panem had a thing for bringing down Artemis's mood.

Beetee got away from the horses and joined his team. "You made a really good impression. The cameras were drawn to you both."

Silyah's stylist attempted to give the girl a congratulatory hug despite the electric arcs still emanating from her shoulders. "Thanks for the beautiful costume, Xarone," she told him.

Ilranor smiled at the teenagers. "Congratulations. You were splendid together," she looked over to Artemis and deactivated the tributes's suits, giving one final admiring glance towards Xarone and her's creations. "I cannot wait to show you what we just made for your interviews later this week," she then added with satisfaction.

Everyone in the team except Beetee seemed oblivious to the fact that the Hunger Games were a twisted and cruel and form of entertainment… That the first impression the two tributes had just made was only meant for the audience to get to know the kids who would have one chance out of twenty-four of still being alive after the Games…

Artemis turned towards Beetee, suddenly feeling as if the countdown of the parade had been part of the countdown of his life. "When will you start coaching us?"

Beetee gave him an understanding look. "As soon as you come back from your first training session. I will need to know your actual strengths before making any plans," the man answered before looking at his watch. "I think that it would be the time to go to our room before the elevator gets too busy," he told Effie.

The woman nodded and pushed the group towards an elevator made of crystal. "This system is really simple," she said as they boarded it. "There are twelve floors dedicated to the tributes; you will have to press on the button labeled with a 'three' and voilà! You will climb up to your new temporary home."

Temporary. The word reminded the tributes that their time in the beautiful – almost heavenly – apartments of the Capitol would be extremely limited. Soon enough, the only shelter they would have would be a treacherous arena and only one person would have the privilege to see the outside world again.

Effie pressed on the number 'three' and in less than five seconds, the group was on their floor.

Two people dressed entirely in white, a boy and a girl, greeted them silently at their arrival. They then showed them the modern and expensive-looking rooms of the third floor.

There were bedrooms and private bathrooms for everyone, a nice living room area with an enormous window giving on a Capitol street and a beautiful kitchen in which food was automatically delivered to anyone who wanted something to eat.

If there was anything good in this future, this had to be it. Even Artemis had to admit that he was impressed.

Every single window in the building had an interactive feature on which the people looking through it could decide of the view they wanted to have. The showers were the same automatic ones as those in the Remake Center and the furniture was the most luxurious and high-tech one could think of.

The place was a technological and architectural marvel.

The people in white left the group as soon as they were done with the tour.

"If you ever need anything, they will come to you," said Effie to the tributes, speaking about the quiet strangers.

Silyah nodded quickly, and then decided to go explore the apartment. She had seen so many new objects and she craved to examine them from up close.

Artemis had chosen to follow Silyah; he had some questions for her.

The girl was marveling over the windows of the living room when she heard the sound of Artemis's footsteps behind her. "Amazing isn't it?" She asked him as she made the window zoom on the moon.

"Yes, truly amazing…" he nodded. "Silyah, may I ask you something?"

"Yes, of course," she turned her ice-blue eyes towards him.

"Who were these people dressed in white?"

She gave him a curious look. "These were Avoxes. Haven't you heard of them before?"

Artemis shook his head. "No, what are they?"

Silyah sat on the window's ledge. "They are prisoners of the Capitol. They were punished either for treason, or because they tried to run away from their Districts. The word Avox actually comes from Greek and Latin words that mean 'without a voice.' I guess you have noticed why."

Artemis frowned. "Prisoners," he murmured, clearly displeased. "Are they not allowed to talk?"

"Not only are they forced to work for the Capitol like slaves, but they also undergo a very painful treatment," Silyah shivered only by thinking about it. "They actually got their tongues cut off…"

Artemis looked slightly sick. "They… That's macabre!"

Silyah nodded, a sad look appearing on her usually joyful face. "Don't try to socialize with them, I heard that if they tried to communicate, either by writing or by sign language, they would get in even more trouble."

"That's just sick…" He lacked a better word. "How can a world be peaceful if people are treated like that?" Artemis clearly didn't like this new piece of information.

Silyah shrugged. "That's why most people prefer to follow the law and tolerate the Capitol." She looked back at the moon in the digital window. "Sometimes I wonder how it was like before all of this…" She pressed a button on the window's remote and an areal view of Panem appeared on it. "That's why I love to learn about History."

Artemis closed a fist. If he ever got back into the past, he would do anything he could to prevent this madness from happening. "So, you know about the past?" He asked to bring the subject to a lighter place.

"Well, you hear me the other day when I was speaking with the teacher…" she replied. "I don't know that much about History, but that's because no one will let us, District kids, know…"

She had a point. "How much do you know?"

"I read about a few things here and there about places like North America and Europe. Most things I could find were geographical facts," she paused, recalling a few of the most interesting facts she had learned. "I also found a book about mythology in various countries," she added.

"Mythology? Found something in particular?"

Her eyes lit up, remembering a page that she had read a long time ago. "Artemis," she whispered. "Oh, that is why your name sounded so familiar! I did read about it." She smiled. "She was a goddess of the moon right? The Goddess of hunt?"

Artemis nodded with a smirk. "Indeed."

"Lovely name…" She looked at the boy. "And what about you? What do _you_ know about the past?" She wondered, curious.

Artemis gave her a mysterious grin. "More that you'd imagine…"

"May I get a sample of your knowledge, _Master_ Fowl?"

The grin widened. "What would you like to know, _Miss_ Silyah?"

The girl thought about it. There were so many things she could ask about… "Do you know about the era just before all of those natural disasters began to affect the planet? About the way the people lived back then?"

"Let's see… The twenty-first century?" He asked in his teacher-like, lecturing voice. Silyah nodded. "The people back then lived very differently than in the Districts, as you might have guessed. In most countries, they had more freedom. Technology was a very important part of their lives."

"I read that humans once traveled to space…" Silyah added thoughtfully.

"Yes, they did, multiple times," he nodded, briefly wondering what had happened on Earth – or perhaps in space – for spaceships to disappear. Artemis and Silyah were quiet for a moment, each of them thinking about the past. "Most countries were trying to live in peace and agreement… They were attempting to cooperate through a system called the United Nations. The world's leaders wanted to remember the past in order not to repeat the same mistakes as their ancestors," he explained.

Silyah's head dropped down. "Well, they clearly are making one big mistake right now…" She replied, referring to Panem. She however felt like slapping herself for having said such a thing while being inside of a building owned and monitored by the government. "I think that humans back in the days made stupid decisions about how they treated the planet, but they seemed to live in good conditions when it came to political judgment… Or at least, they lived in better conditions than what _we_ know now."

"I can't but agree. People seem to have gone back to the Stone Age, or rather back to Rome, with the Colosseum."

"Ancient Rome. Yes, that's very true," Silyah smiled, looking up. Her expression was halfway between sadness, nostalgia and tiredness. "Where did you learn about those ancient societies?"

Artemis thought about it, choosing his words carefully. "I have always been fascinated with them… If you do enough research on something, you will eventually find what you are looking for," this strategy had indeed proved itself useful when he had been searching for the People.

Silyah was about to reply something like, "maybe I'll try that one day," but she realized that it might not even be possible anymore. She frowned and went back to playing around with the window's features. She zoomed in on a busy street of the Capitol. "Just look at them…"

People were coming and going, not worrying about how much money they could spend in one store, how much food they could eat in those expensive restaurants or how many modifying surgeries they could get. All of them had not idea about what was truly going on elsewhere.

"And now look at _this_," Silyah pressed on the remote. Images of the twelve districts of Panem began to appear on the window. The streets were empty; people were working their lives away in order to put food in their plates.

"If this is supposed to be a good world, I would almost prefer it being bad…" Artemis frowned. "What happened to _all people are born equal?_"

They contemplated the windows, which Silyah had programmed to show the moon once again. "Some people are more equal than others," she answered.

"George Orwell's Animal Farm?" Artemis raised an eyebrow, recognizing the statement from Orwell's short novel.

Silyah nodded, grinning. "Yes, my uncle actually managed to find that book and gave it to me for my birthday."

Slowly, the girl got up and stretched. "Do you want anything from the kitchen?" She asked Artemis.

It was now Artemis's turn to nod. "Why not," he said getting up.

"We might as well take advantage of the unlimited food supplies," she winked.

* * *

The two tributes were seated at the kitchen's table, each of them with a cup of hot chocolate in hand, when Silyah said, "You know, even if all of these horrible things are upon us, I can at least say that I am in good company in this crazy adventure."

"You find _Effie_ to be good company?" Artemis raised an eyebrow. What a joke. What was this place doing to him? Or maybe it was not the place, but the girl he was trapped there with…

She laughed softly, locks of her hair, which was already starting to curl again, falling in her eyes. "But of course! She is very delightful!" Her fake Capitol accent was an exact copy of Effie's.

"That imitation is not so bad, you've got a talent. Show that to the Gamemakers and sponsors and they'll adore you."

"Who knows, maybe I could imitate Effie in the arena and bring someone to a death of despair," she chuckled.

"That tactic might actually work…" Artemis leaned back in his chair, bringing the cup of hot chocolate to his lips.

Silyah starred at him, still very amused about Artemis's previous hot chocolate mustache.

Artemis raised an eyebrow towards her. "What are you looking at?" He asked, letting the cup sink. No mustache in sight this time.

"I'm sorry," she said, taking a sip in her own cup. "Still thinking about that _fashionistic _mustache of yours."

Artemis raised the other eyebrow. "Oh," a smirk formed across his lips. "I would not look so amused if I were you."

"What?" The girl tried to find a reflective surface in the room.

The raven-haired boy grinned. "You look _so fashionistic,_" he said, doing a remarkably good imitation of the Capitol accent himself.

Silyah's hand went to her face. She wiped the corners of her mouth; there was nothing there. Maybe the boy was just teasing her, she thought… But then, she saw _it._ On the tip of her nose was a treacherous spot of whipped cream.

Artemis laughed at her expression. He had a nice laughter… Sad thing this might be one of the only time Silyah would get to hear it.

With the back of her hand, she removed the cream from her nose as blush rose on her cheeks. Though the look in her eyes was slightly mischievous, she was laughing too.

"Now we're even, cream-nose."

* * *

Effie was about to go in the kitchen when she heard laughter. She peeked inside of the room and sighed… Artemis and Silyah looked so happy and strong when they were together. Suddenly, the woman dreaded the moment when they would have to split them apart to watch them die.

The lady cleared her throat. Two pairs of joyful eyes looked at her, losing only a slight bit of lightness while doing so. "You better finish up what you were doing and go to sleep if you want to be in shape tomorrow," said Effie in a tone much softer than her usual one.

Artemis briefly wondered about Effie's her change of pitch, but he nevertheless agreed with her. "Effie is right. We better be at our best for the training, right Silyah?" Artemis got up from the chair, but in reality, he was worried about the training; he had no physical skills to speak of.

The two teenagers dropped their empty hot chocolate cups in the sink. "Did I miss anything?" Effie asked Artemis when he walked beside her.

"Not much, just something about hot chocolate and whipped cream," the boy replied, his good mood seeming strange. "Good night, Ms. Trinket."

Who would have thought that one could feel almost relaxed when they knew that their imminient death might be closing in?


	10. Chapter Nine, Brute or Brain

**Chapter Nine, Brute or Brain**

"Artemis?" A cheerful voice rang in the boy's room. "Wake up, we have a big, big, big day ahead of us!" Effie knocked on his door a few times before deciding to open it.

Inside of the room, she found a really sleepy kid among the pillows of the bed. The woman could not help but to notice how much younger he looked without the serious expression he usually sported. Maybe, he would look like that after the Games… Or maybe he would survive…

Effie shook the strange thought from her head. "It's 6:00 AM, time to wake up," she nearly sang.

The boy moved slightly, slowly opening his mismatching eyes. "Oh… Good morning Effie," he gave her a polite smile.

"Good morning!" she replied in a sigh. "I will leave you a few minutes to get ready and then you can head for the dining room to get your breakfast." Artemis gave her a nod. Effie smiled and turned around before adding, "Your training outfit is the first one in the dresser," she then left, heading for Silyah's room.

Artemis walked to the dresser, finding the said training outfit.

The top was a simple black sport T-shirt with blue accents on the sides and on the shoulders. The number three adorned the back and the sleeves of the garment, printed on the fabric with grey ink.

The pants were dark cargo-like pants that looked rather comfortable to run around with.

After having taken a quick shower and throwing on his outfit, Artemis walked to the dining hall.

A yawning Silyah arrived at the table shortly after him. "Good morning," she said in a tired voice. She clipped her bangs away from her face, which, added to the blue on her training shirt, accentuated the color of her pale eyes. "I don't know about you, but I could have slept for another century; the beds here are so cosy," mentioned the girl, taking a cup of fruit salad on the large table.

"That would have been ideal, but frankly, Silyah, I don't think they would ever let us," said Artemis as he sat down beside her.

"Considering that we have a 'big, big, big day,' Effie would certainly not let us sleep a little longer," laughed Silyah before sighing.

Artemis gave a small chuckle, even though it was not exactly funny.

"Morning kids," Beetee arrived in the room, cleaning up his glasses. He put them on and focused on the room. "Oh, there you are," he took place in front of them. "Ready to begin your training?" The man did not even wait for an answer before he added, "I would like to know if you would prefer to be coached together, or separately during your time at the Training Center."

Silyah gave him a look as if to say, _"Don't think about it, I won't take any important decisions just after I woke up"_ and Artemis did not really know much about training procedures… Therefore, Beetee waited impatiently for an answer, which he eventually received at the end of the breakfast.

"I think that we could have a little bit of both…" said Silyah, making the statement sound like a question.

"Yes," nodded Artemis. "You could train us together for basic lessons and then end them with separate coaching."

Beetee seemed to approve of the approach. "Great! Then, let us begin," he announced, adjusting his glasses over his nose. "Today, we will start by talking of the physical aspects of your trainings, since last time we only spoke about your personalities."

Artemis nodded again, despite the fact that there was not too much to start talking about when _physical aspects_ were concerned.

Silyah gave a half-laugh, half-grunt, "Physical training… Well, at least there is no way I will be able to get any worst than now…"

"I believe we will have to take baby steps," figured Beetee.

"More like mice steps…" Said Artemis.

"Is it that bad?" Wondered the mentor.

Silyah nodded furiously. "I don't know about Artemis, but in my case, yes that bad," she replied, barely exaggerating.

"I'm probably even worst than you, Silyah. I happen to have two left feet when physical activities are involved," Artemis could not lie about that.

"You can't be as bad as me. I probably have the physical skills of a sloth."

Silyah's comment made Beetee suppress a chuckle.

"You've got yourself a bet," sighed Artemis.

"So, the bottom line is, we've got some work to do," said Beetee, opening his notebook.

* * *

All morning, the mentor taught his tributes little tips and tricks on how to use their mental advantage in order to over come the physical difficulties. Positive thinking, he called it. He gave some examples such as, "When you are running, imagine that something you adore is waiting for you at the end of the road instead of thinking about the fact that you might be chased."

Artemis had raised an eyebrow. He had never really thought of it that way before. He had wondered about what he could possibly think about… Holly, most likely… But she would not be waiting at the end of the run anyway; she was probably not even in Panem.

Silyah, on the other side, told Beetee that she was not much of a runner, but that if ever she had to escape a dire situation, she would run like the wind. An advantage of not being the bravest person on Earth, she guessed.

A tip that had struck both Silyah and Artemis had been about weapon handling. "When most people pick up a weapon, they think about how much damage they could possibly do with it," the mentor began. "But truly, a weapon's damage level is all about mathematics and calculations. It is about angles and weight, not about strength and bloodlust."

"That might be true, but to be able to pick up the weapon must surely count for a lot," Artemis had pointed out.

"That's when the choice of your weapon comes in. You could do just as much damage with throwing knifes than with an axe. Speaking of… We will head for the common dining room in a few moments. Your real training will begin shortly after dinner."

It was about noon when the District 3 tributes and their mentor arrived in the cafeteria. Other people were already waiting in line with their trays in order to get something to eat.

Now that everyone was free of makeup and costumes, most faces were recognizable from the Reapings.

After having filled their own trays, the District 3 tributes went to sit at a table, just beside the girl from 6.

The girl with the brown curls looked up to them with dark blue eyes, about the same shade as Artemis's right one. "You are Artemis and Silyah, from District 3, yes?"

"We are," nodded Silyah, picking up her fork. "You're Silver, right?"

"Yes," replied the girl. By her looks, she was probably older than them both; 17 years old, most likely.

"Hey, beauty!" A painfully sarcastic, strong-looking boy with light brown hair called out for Silver to hear. He took a sip of red liquid, wine, by all odds. "You're going down," he added with a sly smile and a wink.

Silver expression perfectly matched his. "Normally, I wouldn't give an advice to a wannabe such as you, Caskar, but I feel sorry for you… So, out in the arena, you better watch your back, 'cause that's where I'll be. Waiting."

There was a strong hate-filled tension between these two. Silyah could feel it in the air. With luck, Silver and Caskar would be the center of the show and the Gamemakers would not bother to make the other tributes's lives too difficult.

"Oh, you will be hiding behind my back? To scared to face me, maybe?" laughed the arrogant boy before his mentor suggested him to sit down and eat instead of provoking the other tributes.

Silver's blue eyes rested on Caskar for a few more seconds before they turned back to Artemis and Silyah. "Annoying," she murmured. "He will never win, just because he thinks that he is the best. The winner will succeed because he or she will be clever, not brutal."

"We're on the same page," muttered Silyah.

Silver smiled, "Yes, you're from 3, you must be clever. That might be good for you. No-brainers like Caskar will spend their Games hunting like stupid animals…"

"Though, a stupid animal who knows his prey might be more dangerous than one who simply hunts," thought Artemis out-loud.

Any further comment on the subject was found to be interrupted by the arrival of someone new at the table. "So, you like them ladies with lovely brown hair and blue eyes, don't you?" Asked the boy to Artemis as he sat down. Silyah rolled her eyes. Why did Kalheb had to sit beside them?

Silver raised an eyebrow. "Jealous, aren't you?"

"No, nothing of the sort. I just thought that Mr. Fowl could share," Kalheb took Silyah's hand, nearly ready to kiss it, but the girl jerked it back.

"Hands off, _Casanova_," winked Silver. "I think that she is taken," Silyah, Kalheb and Artemis all raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, really? My apology, Silyah," he told the girl. "What about, Ms. Silver?"

The pale girl gave him a sad smile, "Sorry, out of your reach," she unfolded her hands, clearly showing the ring around her left ring finger.

Kalheb exaggerated a devastated look, "How disappointing…"

"Hold up," Silyah shook her head, just realizing what Silver had said about her. "What makes you think that I am taken?" she asked.

The other girl smirked in a way that vaguely resembled Artemis's vampire smile. "Well, I thought that is was a couple thing to dress alike."

Silyah thought back about it… Dressing alike? And then, she remembered the blue and grey tones from the Reaping, the leather jackets Artemis and her had both worn while getting off the train… "Oh…" said Silyah. "That thing…"

"There is nothing between us," Artemis broke in. "Besides we met on the day of the Reaping."

"I guess we are only new-found friends with similar interests," added Silyah, as if that might cut it.

Silver grinned, "Whatever you say," she said, before getting up, having finished her meal. "See you in training."

"See you later, Silv," waved Kalheb in a sensual tone, even if he knew he did not stand a chance with her. Silver glared at the District 9 boy, rolling her eyes as she left the room. Kalheb's gaze then went to Silyah. "So, I take it your single then," he winked jokingly at her, though he decided not to push the subject too far. He was, after all, a gentleman.

"You are really not helping you case," laughed Silyah.

"Oh, please, let me have a little bit of fun before I die," replied Kalheb to the District 3 girl. Silyah hid a frown. Kalheb seemed to know and acknowledge the fact that he was not going to make it… Or maybe that was just a strategy.

Artemis had stopped upon the same detail. Not to mention that the comment about having _fun_ did not exactly improve the first impression he had of the boy.

The tributes ate for the most part in silence, sometimes interrupted by casual comments from Kalheb. The boy who was getting on Silyah's nerve ever since the Reapings was not that bad after all. He was still a tad annoying, but not as much as the girl would have thought.

At one point, a feminine voice broke through the cafeteria. "Hey, Kalheb? Why do you sit with _them_? I thought you were better than that," called the feline redheaded girl from District 1. She was seated beside Caskar, amongst a table of Career tributes.

Kalheb shrugged, not really liking the girl's attitude, but rather enjoying her looks. "Don't be jealous, _honey_," he paused, letting the girl react to the nickname. "I'll come and have a chat with you, but I thought that you would have preferred it to happen in a more private place.

The girl raised a well-shaped eyebrow, giving him a smile. "Join me for training?"

He blew her a light kiss. "It would be my pleasure, Geneva."

"Your pleasure? Indeed," said the District 1 girl, not even trying to show any modesty.

"Looks like I won't be trying to steal your girl after all," Kalheb told Artemis before getting up.

Artemis's mouth nearly fell down to his chest. "She – She is not _my girl…_"

Kalheb laughed softly as he left with Geneva. "Whatever you say," he replied, borrowing Silver's words.

"Well, that was awkward," whispered Silyah.

"Yes," Artemis got up. Though his features did not show it, he felt slightly uncomfortable at the moment.

If the Hunger Games's violence was not to exterminate him, socialization with the other tributes certainly would.


	11. Chapter Ten, Glacial Tension

**Chapter Ten, Glacial Tension**

"Hello and welcome to the Training Center!" An athletic woman paced in front of the room, a clipboard in hand. She had began her speech as soon as everyone had gotten inside of the gymnasium-like room. "My name is Atala, I am the supervisor of this section of the building, as well as the head trainer." She paused, barely glancing towards the tributes. "The rules her are simple. You go around the room where different stations with different experts are installed. You are not to engage in any violent activity with any of the other tributes, keep that for the arena." By her tone, it was easy to tell that she had been doing the same job for a very long time.

Atala read a brief description of all the stations, as well as the name of the experts that would be present. A few faces from the poorer Districts lit up when the names of Peeta Mellark – camouflage – and Katniss Everdeen – archery – were brought up.

"Katniss Everdeen?" Artemis whispered to Silyah.

She looked at him, a faint curiosity in her eyes. "Yes, Katniss Everdeen. Though, I have to agree, I never would have thought that one day I would get to meet the girl who was on fire," she whispered back quickly. Glimpsing at him, she caught the puzzled look that briefly flashed across his features. Somehow, it looked as if the boy had no idea as to who Katniss was. Silyah shook her head. The Games were a mandatory thing to watch; of course he would know the victor of the 74th Annual Hunger Games… But Silyah would not bring that up… That one look towards Artemis made her feel like the boy was trying to hide something he wanted to keep private. "I guess I'll see you later," she then said as Atala asked the tributes to begin their tour of the stations. She smiled encouragingly at him and headed for the "Edible and Usable Plants" section of the gymnasium.

Artemis looked around the room. _Where to go first? _There were a few stations on weaponry, hand-to-hand combat, and survival techniques… The boy decided to start off his training with something useful, yet not too arduous; knot tying.

Artemis was halfway through a series of knots – which strangely always ended up looking like tie knots – when Quartz, from District 12, joined him.

"What is _that_?" The little blond girl asked him, pointing to the piece of fabric in Artemis's hands.

"A tie knot," Artemis told her, though it was quite obvious.

"Isn't a knot always supposed to tie something?" She wondered before realizing that the boy might have referred to an actual _tie_; the piece of clothing she might have seen her father wear once or twice.

Artemis felt the urge nearly rolled his eyes.

Quartz grabbed a strong-looking rope and began to knot it as the instructor did. The young girl was pretty good at it, contemplated Artemis.

The District 12 girl was indeed mastering the art of knots when two new tributes joined them.

Kalheb and Geneva, their hands now locked in each other's, each took a rope and tried to keep up with the instructor.

Artemis looked at their progress. The girl from one seemed to be rather skilled, her fingers delicately and intricately building a knot snare.

"You're making magic, honey…" Kalheb whispered in her ear.

Geneva directed a cat-like sound towards him.

Suddenly, Artemis was sure that now would be the right time to change stations. Therefore, he got to his feet, leaving Geneva and Kalheb on their own.

_So what to do next? Camouflage… _Yes, the camouflage station sounded like a good option… It was far enough from Kalheb and Geneva, who were, all of the sudden, starting to whisper really suggestive comments.

"I wonder if you can do anything else with those fingers…" Artemis heard Kalheb ask the District 1 girl.

Geneva gave her lips a lick, "You'd like to know that, wouldn't you?"

At this point, an uncomfortable and under-aged Quartz also decided to get away from the couple-like thing at the knotting station.

When Artemis got to the camouflage section, Silyah was already there, casually talking with Peeta. The two seemed to really get along.

Silyah then turned her gaze towards the raven-haired boy. "Hey, Artemis! Want to join us? I shall present you to Peeta Mellark, Victor of the 74th Annual Hunger Games," she said in a formal tone.

Artemis gave him a polite smile, "Nice to meet you… Though, the circumstances could be… Better…"

Peeta nodded. "I know…" He gave the District 3 tributes a sympathetic look. "Six years ago, I was standing at your place."

"Indeed," said Artemis, "So, any advices?"

"I am afraid I am not allowed to coach anyone but my own tributes. I am only here today because the head trainer really wanted me to initiate some people to camouflage," he explained. "Actually, why don't you both start by picking up some colors? I will give you a situation, you will camouflage yourself accordingly and I will give you some tips for designs."

Artemis nodded, "Sounds like an excellent idea, Mr. Mellark."

"Please, call me Peeta; I'm barely old enough to be out of the Reaping," he replied with a laugh.

"Very well."

On that note, the two tributes installed themselves at a table, ready to be challenged.

Peeta's first situation was quite simple; they had to paint their arm as if it was dirt.

Artemis raised an eyebrow. He could fake masterpieces with ease; dirt would not be a problem for him.

Silyah was done in less time required to spell the word "dirt."

The raven-haired boy used a little more time, but the result was what he had aimed for.

Peeta had very few critiques about the two tribute's works. These two were very skilled. The boy with the bread therefore decided to upgrade his challenges. With a devious grin, he said, "Now, using your weakest hand, make your arm look like water."

Artemis smirked. He was just as good with both of his hands – even though he did favor his left one.

Silyah, however, was not as good as him using her left hand, but as far as Artemis could tell, she had a certain talent for color composition. It took more time than painting the dirt, but eventually, the girl raised her arm. It looked like part of a river with a slow current. She had even taken the liberty of drawing a small fish, which appeared to be swimming inside of her forearm every time she moved it.

It was now Artemis's turn to show his work to Silyah and Peeta. His interpretation of water had a faster current than Silyah's, more like rapids. His colors were spot on.

Peeta had watched them paint in amazement. "You two are extremely talented…" He showed them what he had drawn on his own arm. It looked like a mix of Artemis's and Silyah's creation. "Since I don't think you require my help and that I could easily mistake your arms for pools of cold water, you could, maybe, try some freestyle," the end of his sentence sounded like a question. The two teenagers nodded and Peeta gave them each a new color palette. "Impress me," he told them as he spun them back to back.

Artemis took a paintbrush between his slim fingers. Something impressive… It took a few seconds before the idea hit him.

The two of them used just about two minutes to finish off their artwork, and then they turned.

Artemis's eyes grew bigger as he saw Silyah's creation. How was it possible?

They had both carefully painted patches of detailed-looking frost on the back of their hands. Peeta choked back a laugh. He was indeed impressed. One could think that by touching their hands, he or she would freeze to death.

Then, Peeta looked at them – not at their artwork, but at the two tributes in front of him. There was something about Artemis and Silyah, which reminded him of Katniss and he, respectively…

Meanwhile, Artemis blinked. "How did you decide to take ice?" He asked his district partner.

"I don't know… I was inspired by the colors and by how I feel like we are frozen in a fate that we cannot change… Besides, it's been a long time since I have last seen ice in an arena."

Artemis nodded, still amazed by how they had both chosen the same subject.

From one of the combat stations, Silver eyed the District 3 pair. In her blue eyes was a sheepish twinkle as she met Silyah's. They almost seemed to say, "Didn't I tell you so?"

Silyah stuck out her tongue rather childishly at Silver. "Oh, come on, if you want to annoy a real couple, check out Kalheb and Geneva," she laughed, trying to stop the blood flow in her face from making her blush.

"But your denial is much more entertaining," the girl said, giving Silyah a wink.

Silyah sighed and washed off the fake frost on her arm. "Thanks, Peeta," she said. "I think that I will go try out some weapons," needless to say, she was not exactly sure about the outcomes of that one.

She was about to turn around when Peeta stopped her. "Before you go, I made cupcakes for the tributes, so feel free to take one," he presented her a plate of beautifully frosted pastries.

Shrugging as she smiled, she grabbed one with a purple flower on it, "Thanks again!"

Artemis had not even seen which cake his fellow tribute had taken, but he somehow managed to pick on with the same design.

Silver walked up behind them, feeling like a cupcake break would be good. She picked one with a design similar to a cross and nudged Silyah, "Still denying it?"

There was no point in trying to hide her blush anymore. Thus, Silyah simply decided to keep her mouth shut and eat her cupcake. Giving Silver one last glance, Silyah randomly chose a weapon station, spears.

Silver grinned with satisfaction. She knew that there had to be _something_, even if it wasn't strong yet.

Finishing his own pastry, Artemis then decided to head over to the archery station.

By the silver weapons was a dark-haired girl with olive skin. Her eyes looked as grey as a stormy sky. Without a bow in hand, she could almost look harmless, but as soon as she picked up her weapon, her expression changed. The young woman shot a sequence of three arrows right in the bull's eye before noticing Artemis.

"You are really accurate," mentioned the raven-haired boy. "You are Katniss Everdeen, right?"

The girl put her bow over her shoulder. "Yes," she was slightly taken aback. It was the first time in six years that someone hesitated while saying her name. It almost felt pleasant to be barely recognized. "Want to learn the basics?" She asked.

"Yes, please."

Katniss handed him a silver bow. "Do you know how to hold it?"

"Yes, but that might be the only thing I know…"

"Okay…" She pronounced slowly, eyeing him as he took the bow. "That's actually a good place to start," she encouraged him.

"Not good enough to keep me alive, I am afraid," said Artemis.

"Then, let me help you through this," She got beside him, grabbing her own bow, starting by the very beginning, the basic techniques of archery.

Artemis could praise himself for being a fast learner, but registering information very rapidly could not improve his physical skills whatsoever.

Every arrow he launched oddly avoided anything that looked like a target. "I fear that sports are not my thing… I am more of a mental person," he excused himself for his clumsiness.

Then, one of Beetee's advice suddenly rang in his hear. Katniss was just about to send him to another station, where he could hopefully try to learn some more useful survival skills when Artemis took her by surprise.

He had taken a new arrow and was now bringing back the bowstring, thinking about the movement as the tension required in order to provoke a translational motion in the arrow. Instead of letting go of the string right away and straight towards the target, he chose an angle, which would optimize his accuracy. When he did let go, the arrow flew out of Artemis's bow, almost hitting Caskar's nose before burying itself pretty close to the bull's eye of a target.

Silyah, who had seen the scene, leaned on her spear and looked at Artemis with an intrigued expression. "Don't tell me that this was an accident," she mouthed, pointing at an angry Caskar. She smiled and threw her own weapon on a target shaped like a human. She would have probably reached the lungs, or perhaps even the heart if the dummy had been a real person.

Artemis let his bow sink, that his arrow had reached the bull's eye had not been an accident, but that it went by Caskar had been. "I mainly used some scientific figures to help me plan the course of the arrow. The variables such as the other people in the room were independent from my calculations," he explained Silyah.

"Archery and science?" Wondered Katniss. "Nice shot, by the way… Though, you should probably keep the more lethal stuff for the arena."

"Maybe you name is shining through your clumsiness, _Artemis_," said Silyah who was slowly approaching the archery station, a spear still in her hand. Katniss raised an eyebrow.

"Very amusing, Silyah," murmured Artemis. "I am named after an ancient Greek Goddess who happens to be the Goddess of Hunt and Archery," he explained to Katniss.

"Oh… Well, keep it up," she smiled, noticing how Artemis's mood shifted as Silyah walked up to them. Katniss scanned the room, searching and finding Peeta's eyes. They were both on the same page regarding the District 3 tributes.

Artemis sat his bow back on its stand now that he knew he was able to use it. He looked around the room for a new topic to explore.

A few stations further down the gymnasium, Geneva was throwing double bladed axes, hitting the dead center of the dummies every single time.

From across the room, Caskar gave a hateful look towards Artemis and Silyah. "You see," he began, "District 1 has some really fierce competitors," he looked back at Geneva. "Sweet, right?" He winked at them in a way that would have made a troll shiver.

Artemis gazes right back at Caskar, giving him a cold stare that could have made two trolls shiver, and definitely a human teen.

"Some? I can only see one of them actually trying to practice," Silver's voice came from another station. No one had the power to irritate her like Caskar. "So, you're going to hide behind her the entire Games?"

Caskar mumbled something that sounded like a great load of swearing and mentally reviewed his list of people to kill. Right on top of it – occupying the first place – was Silver Canemon, closely followed by Artemis Fowl and his "girlfriend."

Silver smirked. Infuriating Caskar was just too easy.

Meanwhile, Artemis sighed. Caskar was certainly not a person one could consider as good. There was something in his eyes… Almost the same thing that rested in those of a certain pixie… Maybe he would be the one creeping behind Artemis once the Games would begin…

Silyah had clenched her fist around her spear. The cold vibes emanating from the Training Room felt very odd to her and though she was not one to support violence, the girl could not help but to feed from her peculiar dislike for Caskar as she kept on throwing spears at the humanoid target's heads.

By the fiery look in Silyah's eyes, Artemis could easily guess that she was imagining Caskar as the target.

Appearing out of the plants section, a dark-skinned boy passed behind Artemis. By his looks, one could recognize him a Zinque Chart from District 11. Even though he seemed deadly with the huge hammer in his hand, when he spoke, his voice was sincere and almost friendly. "I would not mess with Caskar if I wanted to stay alive later on…" he said.

"He'd have to get through the Cornucopia first," laughed Silver.

Zinque felt like laughing too, but Caskar's eyes burned on his back. Instead, he bit his tongue and remained quiet.

Silver turned to Caskar, waving at him with a smile on her lips.

He replied to her grin with one that looked so sickeningly sweet and genuine, it almost hurt to see his face being twisted like that.

"Did you eat something sour, Caskar?" The District 6 girl called out to him.

"No, it's just that I turned around and saw your face," he rubbed his eyes, as if blinded.

"You clearly haven't seen your own reflection, then."

From his corner of the room, Peeta was beginning to hate how the situation was turning out. It was bad enough that the Capitol was to send these kids in an arena, let alone the fact that they would willingly slaughter each other at that rate.

Caskar reminded him of Cato and his superior attitude, while Silver was just searching for trouble. With an even stronger voice than he thought he owned, he shouted, "Enough!" Then, in a much softer voice, he added, "Save your efforts for the arena."

Katniss eyed him, feeling the similarities between this group and theirs.

Peeta was right, had thought Silver. She would kick Caskar's Career backside later and she would enjoy it.

Luckily, just after the obligated obstacle course, the mentors arrived in the tense Training Room, calling their tributes for supper.


	12. Chapter Eleven, Great Minds Think Alike

**Chapter Eleven, Great Minds Think Alike**

As soon as she got out of the crystal elevator, Silyah crashed on the couch of the District 3 apartment's living room. Needless to say, training had been extremely exhausting.

The girl made a strange sound, halfway between an enraged sigh and a yawn. She then kicked her training boots on one corner of the room in order to let her toes breathe.

"Silyah!" exclaimed Artemis. "You mind looking out before tossing your boots at me?"

Silyah raised her head, which had been hanging upside down from the couch. "Sorry, Artemis…" She turned her whole body back so that her feet would actually be closer to the ground than to the ceiling. "I didn't know you were there…"

"Clearly," murmured Artemis.

"That last obstacle course the trainers had us do completely drained me," she commented, rubbing her neck. She stretched for a long moment and sighed.

"Likewise… I am feeling my muscles aching in places I did not even know I had muscles…"

Silyah tried hard to smile, but her face would not cooperate. "The joys of being brains…" she whispered.

"Make some space for me, will you?"

She sat up, tucking her legs under herself, and then patted the cushion beside her.

"Thank you," Artemis sat slowly, afraid that the pain in his legs would double if he sat down too fast. "This is why I keep away from physical activities…"

"Normally, I would say 'I feel your pain,' but I think that my own is just enough for now," she laughed, tired.

"For now, yes," nodded Artemis, a shadow of a smile threatening to form on his lips.

One of the Avoxes walked in the living room to look up on the two tributes' needs. Silyah almost felt bad for asking, but she really felt like she could use a cup of warm tea and therefore ordered one from the quiet servant.

The Avox brought her a small teapot. He showed four of his fingers, pointed to Artemis and then showed off two fingers. "For you too," he probably meant.

"Oh," Artemis gave the man a polite smile. "Thank you…" He had no idea as to what wrong the Avox might have done, but he truly felt sorry for his captivity.

Silyah thanked the man dressed in white, who responded by bowing is head as if to say, "No need to be sorry, or to thank me." The Avox then disappeared in the kitchen, as quiet as ever.

Silyah poured two cups of tea as Artemis looked at the spot that had previously been occupied by the slave of the Capitol. He sighed, taking one of the cups. Had Holly seen this, she would have kicked the rear end of whoever had been responsible for that injustice.

Closing her eyes, Silyah slowly sipped her tea. "Can you actually believe that we survived our first day of training?" she said, a small spark of humor appearing in her tired eyes as she opened them.

"Nothing is official yet. Perhaps tomorrow you will come into my room to discover that I will have died from stress during the night," he said, matter-of-factly.

"Don't die on me overnight..." She said with a hint of a smile while shaking her head. "I need you to help me remain mentally stable."

Artemis gave her a vague smile, "I don't think I would be able to die in those beds, anyway."

"And I'm probably sure that the Gamemakers would not allow you to die while you are not in the arena."

"For some reason, I believe that this statement is accurate."

Silyah nodded. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then," she smiled at him and got up lazily from the couch. She would take a long, warm shower and drift off into sleep.

* * *

The rest of the training days were about the same as the first one. The tributes would get up in the morning, head to their coaching sessions with their mentors and escorts and finally, they would go to the gymnasium to work on their skills.

Somewhere in the middle of the second day, people began to whisper about some kind of tribute gathering secretly organized by Peeta and Katniss. The rumors were all confirmed when the two victors from District 12 gave everyone a small role to play in the organization of the event, which would occur the night just before the interviews with Caesar Flickerman.

Most of the tributes were starting to be calmer and in a slight more festive mood as the day of the gathering approached. The mentors, however, were starting to get nervous for their tributes and would try to make the most out of their time spent with them…

* * *

Effie clapped her hands, delighted to see that Silyah was absolutely amazing when it came to etiquette, attitude and "walking with high heels" lessons.

"My work is done!" She declared. She had coached the young lady for about twenty minutes everyday, which had been more than enough. "Do you want to go see Beetee right away for your last private session with him?" She asked the girl. Silyah did not object. She liked her sessions with Beetee; they almost made her feel confident and hopeful.

Thus, Silyah made her way to the study-like room Beetee had claimed for an office. The door was opened when she arrived, but Beetee did had not seemed to notice her yet. He was on the phone… That could only mean one thing: sponsorship deals were being made. The District 3 victor hung up the phone and raised his glasses over his eyes. "You're here early," he said, looking at his watch.

"Yes, Effie finally freed me from her nine inch high heels," she smiled.

The mentor grinned back at her, wondering what was worst; the heels or the Games. He shook the silly thought from his head and took his notebook, beginning Silyah's daily training session.

He talked about strategies, probabilities, statistics and ways to survive the ruthless arena. Silyah drank in every word he spoke, mentally recording them, engraving them in her brain.

The mentor was about to let Silyah go, when he remembered something he had intended to tell her previously. "Silyah?" the young girl turned around. "I would suggest you don't get too friendly with Artemis… I have noticed how you two act together and I think that…" He stopped in mid-sentence, trying to find a way to express the concept, even though he did not need to do so. Silyah had understood perfectly. She would not be able to handle his possible death if they got too close.

_Well, it's almost too late to call this an advice… _She thought as she nodded at Beetee before leaving his office.

* * *

"District 3, Silyah Natho," called a voice coming from the speaker in the room in which the tributes waited for their private sessions with the Gamemakers. The girl took a deep breath, waved encouragingly at Artemis and left, following the same path the tributes from 1 and 2 had taken moments ago. As she walked away, Artemis briefly wondered what she had in store for the Gamemakers…

His gaze then went to the waiting room, sweeping the faces of the other teenagers. Some of them seemed nervous while others appeared overly confident, completely confused, or all three at once.

About fifteen to twenty minutes quietly went by as Silyah was being evaluated and then, the same voice that had called the others pronounced Artemis's name.

The boy stood, controlling his breathing, feeling his heart beat get faster with each step he took.

Once the big doors of the gymnasium closed behind him, Artemis could not help but to notice that the Training Room felt really empty without anyone throwing weapons everywhere… Though the thought of being alone in a room full of people planning you death somehow felt stranger…

The Gamemakers were far from being bored yet; Artemis was only the sixth tribute to be evaluated, which meant that all eyes were on him. However, each of the Gamemakers seemed to have a distraction close at hand, just in case the show would cease to be good. For most of them, the distraction laid in the glasses of wine and plates of food in their hands.

On the other hand, one Gamemaker in particular was one hundred percent attentive to the raven-haired boy. Her chocolate brown eyes followed him as he walked through the room.

Artemis ignored the stare, which seemed to be burning into him. _She_ was certainly not going to make him lose one ounce of his concentration.

Feeling the boy's slight discomfort, the Gamemaker smirked and popped a truffle in her mouth. _Artemis Fowl, we meet again…_ She thought, trying to stop a hysterical laughter from escaping her throat.

Artemis's eyes searched the room, noticing a weak shimmer separating the Gamemakers from the tributes. Artemis frowned… A force field, perhaps… Then, a plan sparked in his mind.

Disabling the force field would be a neat way to show that Artemis could outwit his enemies by attacking their main defenses… _How suitable_, the boy thought. He browsed through the room for the right materials to perform the task. Apart from the weapons, there was not much to work with…

Then, Artemis remembered the obstacle course at the back of the gymnasium. Surely, there were some mechanical and electronic components in there…

With a careful manipulation involving the chain of a hiking harness, the power source of the obstacle course and an arrow shot at the right place – just inside the room's electrical panel, the boy executed his plan.

The Gamemakers briefly wondered what the boy would show them. He had been rummaging through the room for good ten minutes… They simply looked at him go and waited for something to happen.

Artemis smirked. The masters of the Games had not even noticed that their force field hand went off. He took a small berry from the stations that had been used as the "edible and usable plants" station and threw it towards them.

The brown-eyed, dark-haired Gamemaker caught it with an inhuman accuracy. Their eyes then met; chocolate brown and mismatching blue and hazel.

Nonchalantly, she tossed the plant right back at him. "I prefer my truffles to these… Things," she said.

Artemis stepped away. He was not going to catch the berry, so he would at least make it look as if he had planned it. He grinned at the woman.

While this silent conversation took place, the Head Gamemaker, Plutarch, was furiously trying to contact those who could reactivate the force field. Why and how could tributes come up with these crazy ideas? _Very clever, but quite enraging…_ he thought. Now that had an idea about Artemis's capabilities, he dismissed him, eager to go on with the Private Sessions.

Artemis slowly left the room, the sound of the dark-haired woman's laughter ringing in his ears…

* * *

The District 3 team was seated in their living room shortly after the Private Sessions. Patiently, they waited for the results…

As a reward for their training being over, Silyah went to the kitchen and fetched two cups of hot chocolate. "Look at this..." She said as she got back. She handed a cup to Artemis and sat beside him. "Our dear Geneva, self-proclaimed _queen of the warriors_ only scored a seven."

Effie sighed, not because of Silyah's comment, but because of the hot chocolate. _Hopefully, this time would not be as messy as the two previous ones,_ she thought with a laugh.

Artemis clutched his cup and nodded. "It can be a tactic… But her attitude might be the thing that brought her down."

"True… From what we have seen in training, if she gets her hands on an ax, we better run away from her," Silyah would never take such risks as confronting a Career on her own.

"Running won't help," Artemis shook his head. "She would take us down even more easily with our backs turned to her."

Silyah rolled her eyes, both to Artemis's statement and to the picture of Caskar that had appeared on the television screen. Of course, the boy had scored a ten.

"Well, that will certainly not bring down his ego," murmured Artemis.

"What could bring down his ego, anyway?" Sighed Silyah, her usual smile brightening up her face.

"Good point," admitted Artemis.

The District 2 tributes' scores then appeared on the screen. The girl, Crelin Spooks, had scored an eight while the boy, Elon Jokter, had obtained a seven.

"We're the next ones!" cheered Effie, bouncing in her seat. Silyah's official tribute picture came into view on the television; beside it flashed a seven.

"Well done," said Artemis. "What did you do?"

"Let's just say that I got crafty…" Something flashed in her eyes and she smirked in a way that reminded Artemis of his own vampire-like smile. Artemis raised an eyebrow.

"Your turn, mustache boy," she whispered to him. Ilranor, who had heard the strange comment, turned to Artemis, wondering what mustache Silyah might have referred to.

The boy gave his District partner a look. "When are you going to get tired of that?" he asked.

"Probably when the Games will be over…" She shook a morbid thought from her head as a number appeared beside Artemis's picture. Seven.

"Good job!" said Silyah and squealed Effie.

Beetee scribbled down his tributes' scores in his notepad. "Very good kids! So, now tell me, what kind of scheme did you come up with to avoid physical activities?" He laughed.

Artemis gave his mentor a smile, but not exactly the one that would make one feel better. "I turned the Gamemaker's force field off," he said with a shrug.

Silyah's jaw almost touched the floor when she turned to Artemis. "You have to be kidding! You used the electrical panel right?"

Artemis nodded, "Yes, that is correct."

"You won't believe this," she paused for a moment before adding, "I think that we did the same thing."

"What did you do with the electrical panel exactly?" Effie asked, worried about any possible damage they might have done to the Training Center.

"I played around with a spear and changed the settings of the force field. I actually disabled parts of the field before it vanished and the holes in it were shaped like a "S" – which truly was caused by the waves of the force field – but I guess the Gamemakers thought I was trying to spell my name or something…" Replied Silyah. Artemis also retold his own session, much to Beetee's enjoyment.

The mentor clapped for them. "Now you're talking! What were the odds of you two playing around the Gamemaker's defenses?" Beetee was one happy coach at the moment. "You're plans were both harmless and clever. Really good!"

Artemis smiled. Beetee reminded him more and more of Foaly.

Each District had their turn on screen, the highlights of the Private Sessions being Harbor Pearl, from 4 and Scpencer Ross from 12 with scores of ten, Novia Imous, from 5 and Thea Garber from 8 who had obtained nines and Kalheb Frotz, District 9 closely followed by Zinque Chart from District 11 with the incredibly high scores of eleven.

According to Silyah, the most surprising result had been Silver's. "A six?" She said, in disbelief. Maybe the girl's fearless attitude had gotten her on the Gamemaker's bad side…

"It seems to me that it could be a strategy," pointed Artemis out.

"I hope so for her…"

"You're worried? In under three days, she might be hunting you down."

"I _know _that the first person she will hunt down will be Caskar. If she finds him, she could easily rid everyone in the arena from him," explained Silyah.

"True," agreed Artemis.

Silyah's stylist, Xarone, suddenly got up from his seat. He discretely tapped on the watch he wore on his upper arm, like a bracelet.

This was the signal.

Every stylist had been made aware of the gathering and they had all agreed to help their tributes prepare for it.

"We must be on our way," said Ilranor to the escort and the mentor of the District 3 team.

Each of them taking their assigned tributes to their respective rooms, the designers left, leaving no explanation behind.


	13. Chapter Twelve, Making Sparks

**_Chapter Twelve, Making Sparks_**

After an hour or two of polishing and dress up, the District 3 tributes got out of their rooms.

Artemis had been put into a dark purple dress shirt with pants similar to the ones he had worn upon arriving in the Capitol. His tie was of an even darker shade of purple and the decorative stitch lines on it slightly glowed.

Silyah sighed as she caught a glimpse of him. "Silver is going to destroy us."

The girl glanced down on her own outfit, a dress the same shade as Artemis's shirt. She wore lace leggings and a bolero, which had the same hues as the boy's pants and both the ribbon above her waist and the sequins on the top part of her dress shone like his tie.

The two stylists contemplated their second creations. "Lovely!" Said Xarone.

"You two are now ready to go," noted Ilranor, flashing a smile that seemed to be fluorescent white.

Artemis and Silyah walked together to the crystal elevator, each of them anticipating what the evening would be like.

"I'm not exactly a party person, obviously, but I think that this is going to be interesting," said the girl as she stepped in the elevator. Caskar, Geneva, Elon and Crelin, who lived on the floors under the District 3 quarters, were already inside of it.

"Definitely interesting," Artemis whispered in her ear.

Crelin pressed on the button indicating the roof of the building. "Let's hope we don't have to stop on another floor. It's getting crowded in here," she said, adding a second level of awkwardness to the situation.

"Yes, indeed…" replied Silyah, who stared at Caskar, who was staring intensely at Artemis.

The Irish boy kept his eyes away from the District 1 tribute. Starring was not his thing; it felt highly uncomfortable... But perhaps he would give Caskar a vampire smirk right before the beginning of the Games, just to see how the tall boy would take it.

After a few seconds that had felt like hours because of the Careers, the group arrived on the roof of the Training Center.

The doors opened, allowing the tributes to catch their very first glimpse of the place. The location would have normally looked beautiful, with a lush garden in one corner and a view over the entire Capitol all around it. However, tonight, it was purely spectacular. Small color-changing light bulbs had been hung from the trees and some brilliant torches with colorful dancing flames had been lit in every shadowy corner of the roof.

Katniss and Peeta were seated side by side near the edge of the roof, casually talking. They were both wearing fire once again as a reminder of their history.

Katniss had a knee-length, silky red dress completed with flickering flames escaping the bottom hem of her skirt. Peeta, on the other hand, had them coming out of the breast pocket of his black, long-sleeved shirt.

Noticing the new arrivals, the double victors from District 12 got up to greet the tributes and collect their contributions to the gathering.

Silyah handed Katniss a small black and silver square; a musical chip Artemis and she had made in their free time. They had filled it with music from every Districts of Panem.

Just as Peeta and Katniss thanked them and activated the chip, another tributes-filled elevator arrived, this one carrying the participants from Districts 4 to 6.

"Well, well…" Silver Canemon's voice called from behind the group. "Matching again, uh?" she gave Silyah a grin, walking closer to her. "Just admit it, I'll understand; he is not bad looking."

"Silver," began Silyah, on the verge of being annoyed, but since she could not find anything to reply, she simply decided to play along. "Believe what you want to believe in, I give up on our case," she said with a good-humored sigh.

"Oh, I will," nodded the girl. "The question is: when are you going to believe in what is right in front of you?" This was not just a figure of speech; Artemis was right in front of her.

The boy in question cleared his throat, "It is not very polite to speak behind one's back," he told Silver.

"Oh, but feel free to join the conversation," smirked the girl from District 6. "Would you have anything to confess to Silyah, or you'd prefer to wait for the interviews like Mr. Mellark?"

"I have no desire to confess anything to anyone, and that includes you, Ms. Canemon," replied Artemis slightly taken aback.

"Little cold at heart, I assume," Silver raised an eyebrow at Silyah, who simply shrugged.

"He's got to be cold," said Peeta, who had overheard the conversation. "You are, after all, speaking to the _ice_ prince, Silver." It still amazed him that the two tributes from 3 had intricately painted frost on their arms on their first day of training.

"Ice Prince," whispered Silyah. "Somehow, I think it suits you," she said with a small nudge and laugh as the tributes from 7 to 12 arrived.

Now that everyone was present, the two victors of the 74th Annual Hunger Games invited the teenagers to sit on the ground, picnic-style before asking for a minute of attention.

"Dear tributes," Peeta began, not exactly enjoying the fact that he had to use that specific word to describe the young men and women in front of him. "I know what you are all wondering; why are we here? Am I right?" There was a shy collective chuckle amongst the teenagers. Of course, that was exactly what they all had in mind. "Well, the reason is really simple… Ever since we became trainers, Katniss and I took the initiative of organizing what we called 'the Gathering,' which is an event kept secret from the rest of the world."

Katniss then took the speech. "Tonight, no cameras follow you, no threats are on your heads; the only things here are young people yearning for one moment of peace." The flames on the young woman's dress glistened in the darkening night, making her iconic mockingjay pin gleam as if it was made of liquid gold.

"Tonight will be the night when you will all get an opportunity to be yourselves," concluded Peeta, avoiding the addition of the words everyone expected at the end of his sentence; _before you die._ "So, the only thing we now request from you is that you remain true to yourselves and enjoy the moment. Oh, and please, show a little civility towards the others."

On those words, the victors from 12 stepped away from each other, revealing and presenting an enormous table covered in foods from every Districts of Panem. There was nothing too fancy – a major contrast to the Capitol's cuisine – but the familiar smells of the food from their homes made the tributes' mouths water.

Artemis's mismatching eyes traveled along the table. Though the food looked delicious, there was nothing that truly gave him a sense of home. It made him realize once again that he never belonged in District 3, or Panem for that matter.

"What do you want to start with?" Silyah asked the boy.

The boy looked over all the dishes, shaking his mind away from Ireland.

"What about we get a bit of everything?" she suggested as she got up, seeing that no answer was to be expected from Artemis. People were already starting to gather around the table, making it hard to see most of the platters. Silyah lightly shook her head. "Looks like our competitors are already in survival mode," she laughed.

Artemis nodded. "Yes, it seems so… Even if it is somewhat foolish… If they eat too much over a given period of time, their stomachs will expand and they will feel starvation much faster in the arena," he replied, matter-of-factly.

"One more advantage for the weakest; most people from District 9 and down are actually starving most of the time, so I think they should get the right to enjoy a good meal… But for the Careers, it's a completely different game," she said, adding the last part much more quietly than the first one.

"I guess that you are correct on that one," nodded Artemis and they got closer to the table, entering the queue that was already beginning to form in front of the buffet.

"Are you going to try the spare ribs from our District?" Both Artemis and Silyah turned around at the same time. A boy with blond hair had walked up behind them. "District 10, that is," he smiled genuinely.

"I know I will," mentioned a blue-eyed, redheaded girl beside him. The District 3 tributes could recognize the pair as Jethro and Trinicia. "See," added the girl. "Even if I live in 10, my family never had enough money to get the good pieces of meat."

"I tasted real spare ribs before, but only once…" said Jethro. Ever since his Reaping, the boy had felt so lonely, even a simple act of socialization with future competitors was better than nothing.

The queue moved forward and the tributes began to fill their plates.

"My, my… Even without cameras, you two keep on looking all couple-ish," said Silver from behind the District 10 pair, a huge and devious grin appearing on her face. Apparently, she would try to convince Jethro and Trinicia to enter in her game.

"Would you please explain what is couple-like in talking about spare ribs?" wondered Silyah staring back at the brown haired girl.

Trinicia chuckled as she saw the look on the District 3 teens' faces.

"Oh, you know, it just is," Silver shrugged, still grinning.

"I think that it's the matching of your lights," said Jethro with a slight smirk. "You are sparkling when you are together," he joked.

For a moment, they all glanced down on Artemis and Silyah's glowing outfits, which were pulsating purple light in synchronization. The slight urge to curse their stylists vaguely crossed the District 3 tributes' minds, but they had to admit, they had done a pretty good job as far as making them stand out from the others.

"Let's just get some food," Trinicia gently pushed the group forward.

The line slowly advanced, allowing everybody to get a sample of the Districts' specialties before being sent back to their places to enjoy their meal.

Once the supper over, the tributes were truly beginning to feel more relaxed and most of all, willing to pretend that no dangers were upon their heads.

As a tray of pastries was being passed around amongst everyone, a delicate melody began to be heard and the eyes of the young District 12 tribute, Quartz, lit up. "Katniss, please, can you sing that song for us? Please?" begged the blond-haired girl.

"I don't know if –" Katniss seemed unsure, but the crowd had interrupted her, requesting the same thing as Quartz.

"Fine then," Katniss shook her head despite her smile and then, she closed her eyes, concentrating on the rhythm of the song. "I remember, my mother used to despise it when Prim and I sang this one…" she said before it began, "but we didn't really understand it's meaning and loved it so much that we sang it with my father…" She took a deep breath and in harmony with the recorded signer, the first lyrics eventually escaped her lips.

"_Are you, are you_

_Coming to the tree_

_Where they strung up a man, they say murdered three_

_Strange things did happen here_

_No stranger would it be_

_If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree._"

For the most part, the tributes felt as if they were gathered around a warming campfire by a fresh summer night, though Katniss herself was the flame… The only thing bringing an exception to that feeling was the gloomy context of the song sang by the Girl who was on Fire…

"_Are you, are you_

_Coming to the tree_

_Where the dead man called out for his love to flee._

_Strange things did happen here_

_No stranger would it be_

_If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree._"

All eyes were on Katniss while hers were still closed, still letting herself sink into the song.

"_Are you, are you_

_Coming to the tree_

_Where I told you to run so we'd both be free._

_Strange things did happen here_

_No stranger would it be_

_If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree._

_Are you, are you_

_Coming to the tree_

_Wear a necklace of rope, side by side with me._

_Strange things did happen here_

_No stranger would it be_

_If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree." _

There was a long moment of silence during which barely anyone even dared to blink, with the exception of Caskar, of course, who simply sneered, wondering what was the point of a tribute gathering.

Then, Quartz started to clap, "Thanks Katniss."

The female victor of the 74th Hunger Games could not help but to smile back at the little blond girl who reminded her of Primrose at her first Reaping.

Other hands eventually joined the cheering, all of their owners being fascinated by the dark song which had been enhanced by Katniss' voice.

Just as they had done the first time he had heard Katniss sing, Peeta's eyes would not leave her features. It was only when an upbeat song from a Capitol artist began to play that the mysteriously soothing mood vanished. The song, which had been inspired by the technology of District 3 and Capitolesque double-meanings, carried some of the more outgoing tributes to the makeshift dance floor beside the garden, most of which were awkwardly trying to tempt the shy ones to join them, allowing the Avoxes to clean up the dishes.

* * *

"I'll go get some water," said Silyah to Artemis over the music, which had been playing for a little while now. "Do you want anything?"

The boy shook his head. "Not for now, thank you. I think that I will try to hide somewhere before someone even considers asking me to dance," he replied with a light smirk.

"That's an idea I'll keep in mind," laughed Silyah as she walked to the drink table, grabbing herself a bottle of water before heading to the edge of the roof, taking in one of the most amazing views she had ever beheld.

"Not dancing with your Ice Prince?" called Silver slowly walking towards her. The District 6 girl was followed by the petite pixie-like tribute from 5, Novia.

Silyah's eyes moved to the pair. "Even if he was "my Ice Prince," as you put it, do Artemis and I look like dancers to you?" she asked not even ashamed to admit that she was a pretty boring person when it came to parties. She moved her gaze back to the Capitol skyline. "Did you notice that our food was already cut when they served it?" she asked Silver in a matter-of-factly tone in order to bring the subject elsewhere. "And that no object on this roof has sharp edges? That there is a force field around the building to prevent suicides or escapes? And most importantly, that every heavy thing is screwed or glued in place?" Silver gave the roof a look, effectively, Silyah seemed right. "Everything here, from the decorations to the construction of the place was carefully planned for us not to kill one another…" she added thoughtfully.

"You're quite the clever girl," mumbled Silver as she stepped beside Silyah.

"I may be clever, but I am uncoordinated and I probably have the strength of a child," Silyah eyed both Silver and Novia to see if they were getting what she was trying to say, which they did.

"I am quite savvy about basic survival skills and energy preservation," whispered Novia.

"Allies?" suggested Silyah.

"Allies," repeated Silver.

Novia simply smiled, raising her paper glass before her. "To life," she suggested as the three girls clinked their respective drinks. "What about him?" She then asked, pointing her chin towards Artemis who was desperately trying to avoid the crowd despite his glowing clothes.

A strange feeling climbed in Silyah's throat. "I don't know about him," she said softly. _But one thing is sure; I don't want to be near him if he dies…_ she thought as she got lost in her own mind…

The Hunger Games… What would happen if the Hunger Games ceased to exist? Just like that… As if as soon as the tributes had set a foot on the roof, the games could have forever vanished from their lives…

"Silyah?" seemingly distant, Novia's voice pierced through the clouds of the girl's mind. "You're coming?" asked the dark haired girl with a devious grin.

"Why give her a choice?" said Silver, grabbing Silyah's wrist, dragging her to the center of the rooftop where the dancers were.

"No, no, no!" protested the District 3 girl, shaking her head. "I don't dance!"

"Oh, yes you will," replied the 17 years old from 6, twirling both Silyah and Novia around.

"No, I swear, I'm dangerous," Silyah laughed nervously, seeing Artemis at the corner of her eyes. The boy was staring back at her with a mischievous smirk. Was he laughing at her?

"Novia, go get him," requested Silver, who was enjoying herself a little too much at the others' expenses.

Somehow, the only syllable that could escape Silyah's mouth was _no_, but it was too late for anything. Novia had already ran towards an uncooperative Artemis, forcing him on the dance floor, pushing him towards Silyah while Silver was pulling her towards him.

"Let go of me!" said Artemis as if he just had been abducted, but Novia did not seem to listen to him… Until the two glowing teens were standing eyes in eyes, mere inches apart from each other, that is.

"Take my hand," mouthed Silyah as Silver attempted to make her move. Artemis sent her a look. "Trust me," she added with a devious smile. Silver and Novia slightly stepped away now that their work was done, but it was at this precise moment that Silyah was able to go on with her plan. "Now run for it!" she said over the music, yanking Artemis away from the crowd, laughing at the fact that she had gotten her way after all.

"All right, you escaped this time," Silver laughed along before amusement left her eyes and a mouthed "uh-oh" escaped her lips.

The District 3 tributes did not, however have the time to wonder why her expression had changed so quickly. They seemed to have bumped into a wall of some sort. Letting go of Silyah's hand, Artemis took a step back and raised his eyes. It had been no wall; it was Caskar and he was wearing quite the irritated expression. Red liquid was staining his shirt and his fist was tightly clenched around an empty glass. He raised his free hand in the air, taking a swing… But just as his fist was about to crash in Artemis's stomach, the music began to fade and an elevator sound was heard making everyone stop and stare.

Slowly, the doors opened and two peacekeepers emerged from the elevator, followed by a tall man dressed in the traditional Gamemaker outfit.

Caskar straightened his back, the shadow of nervous feeling settling in his throat.

The peacekeepers then moved to the man's side, revealing his identity as Plutarch Heavensbee's.

"Dear tributes," began the man. "The time has come for you to go back to your rooms. Thank you for participating in the 80th Hunger Games' Gathering." Somehow, even though the announcement had interrupted Caskar's punch, it had also felt like a bucket of cold water… "We hope you enjoyed your evening," he said, observing Katniss and Peeta before calling Districts 1 to 3 to the elevator.

_Marvelous, _thought Artemis as he walked towards the exit of the roof, Caskar's eyes burning down his back. The raven-haired boy gave the roof one last look and the doors of the elevator closed behind the group.

Now that there were no more unwanted witnesses around, Caskar turned to Artemis. "Nothing's going to save you now," smirked the District 1 boy when he turned to raven-haired teen, his fist back in the air.

"Don't you dare!" began Silyah who tried to stop Caskar before being tossed away in the corner of the glass elevator. There was no way the tall boy was going to listen to her.

Caskar grabbed Artemis's collar, pinning him to the wall in front of him. He then got hold of his tie and began to pull the knot tighter, unaware that he was crushing the circuitry sewed into the piece of clothing…

Deep down, Artemis hoped for something to happen; something other than receiving a fist on the temple, that is.

Suddenly, a brilliant white spark lit the glass elevator, sending Caskar shrieking at the back of the enclosed space. "Foul!" he shouted, clutching his injured, electrocuted hand. Just as he was about to launch towards Artemis for a second time, the doors of the elevator opened. With Geneva and Elon restraining Caskar, the District 3 tributes swiftly escaped.

"Did he hurt you?" asked Silyah, her worry showing through her voice as Artemis tried to loosen his tie.

Artemis shook his head. "I think that he was more shocked than I was in the end," he admitted, mentally slapping himself for using such a play on words.

* * *

For the fifth time in her life, Katniss watched the last two tributes – those from her own District – leave the safe place they had made of the Gathering. She felt like such a traitor; like the blackmailed puppet for the Capitol she was.

"Another successful year, I hope," said Plutarch, waiting for the elevator to come back up. "I would need your full report on the events of the night, as well as your analysis of the tribute's personalities for tomorrow morning," he whispered to make sure that Peeta, who was cleaning up the buffet table, would not hear.

Katniss followed Plutarch's gaze, stopping towards the blond man. "I still can't believe you're still forcing us to have this ridiculous Gathering," she spat. "When Peeta came up with the idea, it was with good intentions only and you somehow managed to turn it into a secret test without even telling him."

"Katniss… I have no say in what is to be done. My orders come from President Snow… But, I would like to remind you, Ms. Everdeen that the Capitol was rather generous with you and your _fiancé _by allowing you to get out of the arena and to postpone your wedding with Mr. Mellark to a date of your choosing in exchange for your training contracts… The least they now expect you to do is to pay back for those favors.


	14. Chapter Thirteen, Breaking the Ice

**_Chapter Thirteen, Breaking the Ice_**

_ The shattering sound of a cannon rang in Silyah's ears. Two tributes were now remaining. She ran across the iced ground, her nearly slipping over her boots. Part of her was hoping that the person who had just died had been the right one…_

_ Too soon for her own taste, she began to see some crimson spots of red on the previously immaculate snow. Her heart was pounding in her ears, along with couplets of a song she had once heard._

Are you, are you

Coming to the tree

Where they strung up a man they say murdered three.

_She saw the hovercraft lift a body in the air. Her throat tightened. It was not the right one…_

Are you, are you

Coming to the tree

Where I told you to run so we'd both be free.

_"Silyah?" A male voice came from behind some frost-covered trees, where a raven-haired boy peeked out of the forest. "Silyah," he hurried his pace until he reached her. There was a cut on his left cheek; his red blood was dripping on the snow. "Are you alright?"_

_With her back turned to the young man, Silyah let go of a frozen tear, which ran across her cheek and shattered on the ground when she spun to look at him. "Artemis?"_

_ The young man's pale lips formed a smile. "You're alive," for the time it took to say it, he truly looked happy. "I was afraid Caskar had killed you already."_

_ "You don't get it, don't you?" She whispered, choking on her words._

_ "Get it?"_

I would suggest you don't get too friendly with Artemis… I have noticed how you two act together… _Beetee's words joined the chorus of_ The Hanging Tree _in Silyah's brain. The girl slowly walked towards Artemis. She was shaking just like she had during the Reaping._

_Artemis looked at her, "Is something wrong?"_

_More frozen tears escaped Silyah's eyes… She threw her arms around Artemis and cried on his shoulder. "We are the last two standing, Arty," she buried her face in his coat, not caring about the blood dripping from his cheek._

_Artemis stared at her. "We are?" A weak frown spread across his pale features._

_"They just took Caskar's body."_

Are you, are you

Coming to the tree

Where the dead man called out for his love to flee.

_Silyah tightened her grip on Artemis, her arms around his neck._

_"Silyah?" His tone had changed, he now sounded worried. "What are you –"_

_Silyah pulled Artemis even closer, the movement sending them both to the ground._

_For a second, the fresh snow flew into the cold air, forming a white cloud around the two tributes before falling back down, covering Artemis's jet-black hair with iced crystals._

_Silyah's fingers brushed his hair, the outline of her old and familiar smile on her lips. She leaned closer to him; their faced not even inches apart… Her lips were about to meet his… Her hands framed the boy's face, slowly moved down to his jaw and then to his neck. Her thumbs lightly flew above his adam's apple._

Are you, are you

Coming to the tree

Wear a necklace of rope, side by side with me.

_Artemis's irises got smaller as his eyes grew wider. "Silyah… What are you doing?" He gasped. His skin seemed to lose a few shades as if to match the snow, even if the blood from his cheek now was coloring it dark crimson._

_The girl's tears fell on his cheeks, the salt in them burning in his wound. Silyah's shaking hand closed around Artemis's throat. She shifted her weight for it to be concentrated on the boy's chest, just over his lungs._

_Artemis moved again and again, against the weight pressing down on his rib cage, making breathing worse than it already had been. He locked his hands around hers and with despair, tried to force them away from his neck artery._

_"I'm so sorry," she mouthed, fighting against the resistance coming from Artemis._

_Artemis had long ago realized that if things ever came down to this, Silyah would have had no problem killing him off, but he had never dared to imagine that she would actually do it._

_He used the little strength he hoped he might possess in the task of removing her hands from his neck._

_Silyah was really shaking now; both from the panic and from the pressure she was trying to apply on Artemis's throat. She could not even see his face anymore due to the tears filling up her vision and it was better that way._

_The boy moved for an instant, though it was clear he was losing energy and then, it ended. Artemis had tensed for one second, just before his limbs had grown lifeless. His hands lost their grip on Silyah's and fell on the snow. The rhythmic beat that once could have been felt in his chest slowed down dramatically until the one that took it away could not feel it anymore._

_Silyah collapsed on Artemis's body. The ice was already starting to freeze his corpse._

_The girl felt numb and empty; devoid of humanity. Still shaking like a leaf, she rolled away from him and got to her feet. She wiped away her tears with her bloody hands and stared at her victim._

_Artemis's eyes were frozen, just like the rest of his body was about to be. His gaze seemed locked into her's, his last look still captured in the blue and hazel colour of his irises. His lips already sported a faint shade of blue. He looked like a doll, unmoving and cold._

_Silyah swallowed back the bile that had climbed up from her stomach. His accusatory stare was piercing her soul, if she still had any, that is._

_The next minute felt like the rest of eternity, and maybe it had been. It had started snowing again; the white crystals falling from the sky were now slowly forming a soft sheet over the raven-haired boy. Soon, his skin would be too cold to even allow the smallest of the flakes to melt against it. The short red line on his cheek seemed so colorful in the ocean of white… The frost on Artemis's body was an exact replica of the one he had once painted on his arm… It sickened Silyah to watch him there, lifeless, staring and utterly beautiful._

_She looked down to her bloody hands and attempted to wipe them clean on her snow-covered coat. Her hysterical cries resonated in the empty arena. "I'm so sorry!" She screamed frantically, as if she was trying to remove the air from her own lungs. "I'm so sorry!" She wept. The blood would not go away, reminding the girl of a character from a seventeenth century play she had read a long time ago._

_As if the weight of the whole world suddenly fell on her shoulders, the girl crumpled to the ground. "There could only be one winner!" She screamed to her judgmental conscience as she rocked back and forth on the cold mattress of ice and snow._

_She looked back at Artemis's body and crawled towards it. She could not stand to look into his eyes. For the last time, her fingers brushed the boy's body. She closed his eyelids. Not being able to see his hate filled eyes slightly soothed the girl. The snow on Artemis's face had partially melted with her touch. "I'm shattering the ice once again," she whispered, partly to herself, partly to the body. "Goodnight,_ Ice Prince_."_

Are you, are you

Coming to the tree

Where they strung up a man they say murdered three

Strange things did happen here

No stranger would it be

If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree.

_Silyah got up and turned away. The snow gently falling in her hair almost looked like some type of jewelry… A victor's crown, perhaps… The last cannon shot of the 80th Hunger Games filled the silence and echoed in the girl's mind as she walked away, leaving Artemis's limp body behind._

* * *

Silyah woke up as a horrible, window-shattering scream resonated in her eardrums. She sat straight up in her bed. Her hands were clenched so tightly that her long nails dug in her palms. She had only realized that she had been the one screaming when her lungs had become empty of oxygen. Panting, she tried to relax her fingers and looked down at her hands to see if there was any blood that was not hers hidden somewhere between the folds.

Artemis had been in the kitchen – he had woken up a little while ago to get a glass of water – when the scream startled him. Taken aback, the boy had lost his grip on the glass of water, shattering it on the ground. The scream had unmistakably been Silyah`s

Artemis therefore decided to walk over the girl's room and gently knocked on her door. "Silyah?"

There came no answer.

Artemis frowned, though he despised entering a room without consent, the scream had made him forget his manners. Slowly, he opened the door and stepped inside. "Silyah, are you alright?"

She was clearly awake, but she did not turn to face him. Silyah was looking right in front of her, still breathing heavily. She had heard Artemis's question, but the realization that the Artemis from her nightmare had spoken the same one had rendered her speechless.

Still not getting an answer, Artemis came over to her. He almost felt concerned… The girl was awfully quiet, as silent as an Avox… "Silyah?"

Her eyes were huge; she tried hard not to blink, for every time she did, she saw him, frozen on the ground. Her heart was beating so fast it might as well have found a way out of her chest. "Artemis…" she whispered with a raspy voice caused by her scream.

The raven-haired boy sat at the edge of her bed. "Yes?"

She faced him and studied his features carefully, beginning with the angles of his face, then the colors on his skin, which were all suggesting that he was alive. Finally, her eyes found his. There was no hate in them, only a shade of worry.

"I heard you scream… Is something wrong?" Artemis kept on asking, and he would not stop before she gave some sort of reply, audible or not.

She cleared her aching throat, wondering if her voice would crack if she spoke.

As if driven by an invisible force, Silyah grabbed Artemis's hand and felt for his pulse. Avoiding to touch, or even look at his neck, she moved closer to him to hear his heart beat.

Artemis blinked. What was the girl doing? He did not ask out loud, though; something had clearly shaken Silyah, so he simply let her calm down. He did, however, wonder what could have made her behave like that…

It was not until she was one hundred percent sure that Artemis was still alive that she spoke. "I'm fine for now…" she murmured while reluctantly letting go of his hand. Well, that was awkward, she thought as she sat on the edge of her bed, side by side with Artemis.

The young man looked at her. "It's strange, seeing you so dark minded... You always sound so positive…"

"I thought that I could handle this whole situation with calm, but apparently, the truth ended up slapping me in the face."

Artemis nodded. "I know that feeling."

Silyah wanted to tell him that she was not even afraid about her own fate in the arena, that she was afraid for him and what the Hunger Games could make her do, but she could not let the words slip from her mouth. Instead, she let her shoulders sink and looked at Artemis, trying not to let her eyes get watery.

The boy tried to read her face. For once, it was not exactly an easy task. "It's late, you need sleep. We can't have you looking tired for your interview with Caesar…"

"I don't want to have anymore nightmares…" She was about to add about you, but she bit her tongue. "You'll have to get some sleep too… I hope your ear drums will forgive me for my scream," she said with a touch of her good old humor.

"My ear drums are fine…" Suddenly, a light smile appeared on Artemis's lips. "I'll be right back…"

Silyah raised an eyebrow and the boy left.

What was she going to do about Artemis? What was she going to do about herself? She felt that her dream was a message from her subconscious, telling her that the arena could have to power to influence her, change her and bring the dark part of her personality on the front stage… She wrapped her bed sheet around her to stop her shivering.

Artemis then appeared at her door, carrying two cups of a warm liquid.

The corners of Silyah's mouth rose slightly. "Is that..?"

"Yes, it's hot chocolate…" Artemis sat down on the bed giving her a cup. With a devious grin, he dipped his index into a spot of whipped cream and wiped it on her nose. "Cream-nose," he simply said. After reflection, Artemis truly wondered what had been going on in his brain; this sudden friendliness was so unlike him.

Nevertheless, this bizarre act had had the power to make her smile as she squinted her eyes and removed the cream. "Thanks." Resting her shoulder on his, Silyah sighed and shamelessly made a small movement as Artemis took a sip from his drink, causing the boy's hand to jump. "It's the return of the mustache," she said, clearly cheered up the liquid on Artemis's upper lip. Memories were so precious in times like these… "Now we are equal, again."

Artemis lowered the cup, giving her a look, raising an eyebrow. Somehow, it did not look as scary considering the line of chocolate about his mouth.

"Sorry, I had to do it," she laughed quietly. She rested back against him and this time, she did not move until her own cup was emptied.

"Go to sleep now, or Effie will be going frantic tomorrow," said Artemis.

"Thanks again," she gave him a sweet smile and placed her cup on her nightstand. "Good night Arty," she said before wondering why she had used the nickname she had heard in her dream.

Artemis had been halfway to the door when she called him by his sobriquet. It almost made him tense up. His eyes moved back to her with a slight confusion, then he seemed to get back to his senses. "You're most welcome."

Silyah fell back against her pillow and fell in a dreamless sleep in less than five minutes.

Artemis stepped outside, closing the door gently after him. He felt somewhat guilty for putting one of Beetee's sleeping pills in her drink, but the girl clearly needed to sleep. Dreamlessly.

After briefly wondering down the District 3 apartment, Artemis sat down on the couch of the living room. A thought had struck him. This moment he had just spent with Silyah was most likely the last nice one they would share. Tomorrow would be the interviews and then, the arena would be waiting for them with deadly, opened arms.

Through the big window, the citizens of the Capitol were still buzzing around despite the late hour. For the most part, they were probably all waiting for the moment of the first kill…

Artemis leaned back, sighing. For some reason, he really wanted to know what had shaken Silyah. He tried to think of a reason that could horrify the girl who could always see the good side of almost every situation. It did not even strike his mind that he might have been the reason.

Slowly, Artemis's eyelids started to feel heavier and soon, the slim teenage boy was asleep on the couch.


	15. Chapter Fourteen, Coaching Session

_**Chapter Fourteen, Coaching Session**_

When Effie arrived in the living room, her heart jumped in her chest. She had not expected to see a sleepy tribute on the couch; not when the beds in the rooms were so comfortable.

She walked towards him and gently shook his shoulder. Though her touch had been gentle, her voice was as bright and clear as ever. "Artemis, it's time to wake up, we have a big, big, big day!"

The boy's eyes shot open. He gasped in surprise, almost falling down from the sofa. "Effie…"

"What were you doing here?"

"Obviously, I was sleeping."

_That would be a reasonable answer,_ thought Effie. "Well, let me tell you, you look like a boy who just slept on the couch," she said, being half-sincere and half-joking. "You better start getting ready for the day!"

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Yes… I imagine I do," he said, sitting up. "I will hurry…"

"At least you were easier to wake up than Silyah. I almost thought that she was in a coma when I got into her room."

Artemis's facial expression froze. "Oh, I guess that she was just sleeping very deeply," he replied in a tone betraying an ounce of guilt. "I will see you at breakfast," he then added.

Effie smiled, nodded and waved him away.

* * *

Silyah walked in the dining room, her head still slightly fuzzy from whatever Artemis had put in her hot chocolate. Wondering if she should take her revenge on the boy, she sighed and headed towards a tall glass of orange juice.

When Artemis came in, his fellow tribute turned an accusatory eye on him, though her vision was still partially foggy. Silyah paced towards him and with her index finger, she pushed him firmly but not too harshly against the wall. "What. Did. You. Put In my drink?" she asked before backing off, looking paler than usual. Now standing close to Artemis, she noticed some faint dark circles under his eyes. He probably had not slept too well because of her atrocious scream.

The dark-haired boy blinked. "I would be deeply offended by this lack of trust," he said slowly, "However, breakfast has just arrived," he forced some eloquence in his speech in an attempt to hide how tired he was.

Silyah shook her head, clearing away some wandering clouds. A small voice at the back of her mind, the one that was not affected by the anesthetic told her that Artemis had done whatever he had done for her own good, but the other part was still wondering what had been going on through the boy's mind.

They both sat at the table, every now and then eyeing each other suspiciously before Silyah asked her question again. "You did put something in my drink earlier, right?"

Artemis's mismatching eyes seemed to avoid her… Why did he all of a sudden feel a slight touch of guilt? "You needed to sleep unaffected by dreams…"

"Well, at least that was true…" she said softly. "Thanks… I guess…"

"No need to thank me," sighed Artemis.

"Oh, dear! Look at you two!" Effie stepped in the kitchen, as fresh as an electric blue rose. She looked at the clock and rolled her eyes. These tributes seemed civilized enough for minimal coaching only… "Get something in your stomachs and go get some beauty rest. I will let you both take a three-hour nap; you need it. I will come to wake you up at nine."

Therefore, the tributes did as they were told; they took a quick breakfast and thanked their escort.

Three hours of real and good Capitol-worthy sleep would be just enough to satisfy their bodies.

* * *

Exactly three hours later, Effie "the alarm clock" Trinket knocked on Silyah's door. The effects of the stuff Artemis had put in her drink had now worn off; she felt brand new.

Effie gave the girl a long and silky dress along with a pair of shoes for her to practice her walk and posture before the interview. She put on the dress and with a sigh, saw that the shoes her escort had chosen were the nine-inch high, heel-less ones.

Before Effie had the time to wake Artemis up, Beetee had asked her to review their coaching plan. She therefore delegated the task to Silyah, who was cursing the person who had invented her toe-squeezing shoes.

Surprisingly steadily, she walked to the door of Artemis's room, making a point of clapping her shoes on the floor, just like Effie did. "Are you ready for your big, big, big day?" she sang in a cheerful Trinket voice. There came no reply from the boy. "Artemis? Effie told me that it was time for you to wake up." Behind the door, everything was still silent. Silyah slowly opened it, peeking inside of the luxurious room. "Come on, sleepy Arty," she smiled at her rhyme and sat on the edge of the boy's bed, placing a hand on his slim shoulder.

Artemis's raven hair had fallen in front of his face. He almost looked too pale, but somehow peaceful… It would almost be a shame to wake him up to the nightmare that was reality.

Silyah then wondered if she would ever see him like this in the arena; peaceful and exhausted as his pulse would weaken slowly… And she did not exactly feel good about something as such happening anytime soon.

The boy then moved, opening his eyes. Clearly, he had not expected to see Silyah sitting at his side, but decided to hide his surprise under a quick comment. "Do you always watch younger boys sleep?"

"Good morning, handsome," laughed the girl with her fake Capitol accent. "And, you tell me, do you always reply with a witty comeback when someone wakes you up?"

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Mind if I do?"

Silyah faked a frown. "Maybe. And by the way, you are not that much younger than I, don't make my fifteen years feel like fifty."

The teen chuckled faintly. Artemis sat up; now realizing how stunning the girl was in her dress.

Feeling his gaze on her outfit, Silyah lifted the bottom of her gown, revealing the deadly looking shoes she wore. "Look at what Effie strapped me into," she rolled her eyes, still smiling.

"It's at times like these that I am glad not to be a female," whispered Artemis, thinking of the horror that could happen if "left-foot Fowl" would ever have to wear such footgear.

"I don't think it would suit you," laughed Silyah.

"Would you be insinuating that I am ugly?" Artemis raised his eyebrow once again.

"No, I'm just saying that I prefer you as the boy you are."

"Oh," Artemis turned away. He felt a most unfamiliar warmth spreading over his cheeks.

"I'll let you get ready…" Silyah got up from the bed, carefully maneuvering her heel-less shoes to the door.

"Most kind of you."

The girl curtsied and closed the door behind her.

* * *

Some time later, both of the District 3 tributes, as well as Effie were in the living room.

She had taught the two teenagers how to walk up to the stage, how to smile, how to sit, how to get back up and finally, how to bring the light on their facial features. In the end, most of the morning had been spent getting up and sitting back down, waving, smiling and pronouncing every syllable of Effie's diction exercises.

"Silyah, you have such pretty eyes, make sure to make eye contact with at least every person in the audience at least once! And Artemis, your posture is impeccable; it makes you look so influential!" she almost felt the urge to clap. "The way you both present yourselves seem very promising!"

Artemis smirked. That part of the Hunger Games was one of the few that was not terribly bad to go through.

"Are you done Effie?" Beetee called from the entrance of the room. The woman nodded with a bright smile.

Beetee adjusted his glasses over his eyes and looked at his ever-present notebook. "This evening, as you know, will be the last time you will have to dazzle the rich Capitol sponsors… You will need to play with the most important parts of your personalities and forget about the rest. We want a whole nation to have the same opinion about you," he pause and turned the page of his book. "Silyah, after having observed you, I took note that you are very logical, composed and kind. This means that you must answer Caesar's questions in a friendly and calm tone, but that you must hint the viewers that you have some strategies at the back of your mind." Beetee turned the page once again. "Artemis, you are really clever, I'd even say cunning at times and you have a chilly sense of humor, as we discussed in the train…"

Artemis raised an eyebrow at their mentor, giving him a rather devious grin.

"Yes, that thing," said Beetee, slightly disturbed by the boy's iconic smile. "For your interview, try to stay very neutral and thoughtful. Add a touch of irony to ease the mood at times and you will be all set."

"And if all else fails, just give them brilliant and victorious smiles and look pretty!" added Effie.

"As long as you don't freeze the audience with that smirk of yours, Ice Prince, you're going to be fine," Silyah told the boy, with a grin of her own.

The boy's eyes moved to her. "How amusing, Ms. Natho."

Beetee watched the two exchange their usual witty comments and gave them further details on the interviews.

Before going to get dinner, the mentor managed to intercept Artemis, making sure that Silyah and Effie were in the kitchen. "Be careful, Artemis. I have a feeling that you and Silyah got rather close this week… And that is not so good for anyone's mental health during the Games…"

"I am aware of this fact… I can assure you that this _friendship _will not make any difference of our view of each other in the Games," replied the boy.

Beetee nodded. "Let's go eat."

* * *

After dinner, Ilranor and her prep team got hold of Artemis, while Xarone did the same with Silyah. The stylist had brought their respective tributes in their rooms and had worked once again on exfoliating their pale skins.

A boy with electric yellow hair, Izolt, took care of Artemis`s complexion and makeup while the other man, who was sporting a sparkling silver bow tie and whose name was Throika worked on Artemis`s hair; he seemed to be installing some sort of device in it…

Artemis resisted against the urge to roll his eyes as Izolt traced a line of eyeliner on his lower lash line.

Meanwhile, the only woman in Artemis`s prep team worked on the boy`s nail, giving him a simple manicure. "You are handling this situation very well," she told Artemis. "Last year's tributes nearly tried to kill us when we got him ready," she laughed, mostly to hide the fact that she had been thinking about how easy to would be to beautify Artemis for his funerals if he never made it out of the Games.

Ilranor came in during late afternoon, carrying Artemis's interview suit.

"Very handsome!" The stylist congratulated her prep team. "You made an excellent job, as always," she walked towards Artemis, her brilliant smile stretching upon her golden lips. "Let me show you what I have in plan for today," she said, giving Artemis her drawing pad. "I worked around the concept of the evolution of technology; from steam engines to electrical wires and optical fibers."

Artemis's knowledge in fashion in from his own time was limited to popular designers and to the type of Armani suit that flattered him the most, but as far as he could tell, Ilranor was a true artist and perhaps an engineer considering the technological aspect of her work. Her drawing represented a mix of ancient and modern times; a dark dress jacket layered over a vest and a black shirt with a slight Victorian edge. The pants looked like simple well-fitted trousers, but of course, the stylist had made sure they would not be any "everyday" pants.

"Once again, I made some electrical embellishments in the fabric," she said while showing him the actual outfit.

Artemis nodded his approval. "I like it, as always."

Ilranor pressed on a chromed gear train-shaped broach on the jacket's right collar flap and the outfit lit up. From under the collar and on the vest, modern-looking electronic paths began to glow in the official colors of this year's District 3 tributes; blue, purple and white. Chrome gears were adorning the sleeves, serving the purpose of cuff links.

Artemis was by all means amazed, even a bit inspired by the presence of technological components directly installed into the fabric of the suit.

The golden stylist helped her tribute change into the outfit, which had a modern, yet classical cut. Artemis then noticed that glowing electronic paths also embellished the bottom of his pants. She was about to turn the boy towards a full-length mirror, but stopped, remembering something. She searched through Artemis's drawer and found his golden coin. She placed it around his neck like a medal. "It fits extremely well with the style of his outfit. It looks like the heart of the machine," she pointed out as she brought him to the mirror.

Artemis's lips formed a faint smile. "Yes, it does." The heart of the machine indeed; it was the spark of decency hidden underneath the cold boy's heart and it seemed to grow as the years passed…

The young man then took a look at the person in the mirror. Clearly, the prep team had installed something in his hair, for every fifth second of so, a line of light bearing different pale shades went through his raven-black, smoothed back hair.

"Ready to go?" asked Ilranor.

"Yes," Artemis adjusted his golden coin over his chest and turn to his stylist. "I believe so."


	16. Chapter Fifteen, Electrifying

_**Chapter Fifteen, Electrifying**_

The District 3 group gathered at the crystal elevator, Silyah and her prep-team arriving at the same time as Artemis's.

"That looks dashing!" Silyah complimented the boy, admiring his suit. Then, her gaze went to his face and the thin stroke of black eyeliner on his eyes.

Artemis sighed. "I know you want to laugh, please, just get over with it."

"No… I'm actually a fan of that guy-liner," she admitted, unsure if it was a good thing.

The boy raised an eyebrow. Was she teasing him or was she serious? Giving her a good glance, he took the time to take in her outfit. She was dazzling. The girl wore a floor-length strapless gown with an adjusted sequined top that hugged her curves. A silver jeweled belt accentuated her waist and her skirt was flowing and vaporous. Just like Artemis's suit, her whole dress glowed in various shades of blue, purple and white. The female tribute's hair had been left curly and included the same light mechanism as Artemis's. Her brown locks fell below waist-height, partially hiding her long-sleeved bolero made of a lace with gear patterns.

Effie looked at the two tributes. "Fashionistic! Absolutely fashionistic!" She placed one of her hands under Silyah's chin. "I love what you did with their make up!" She told the stylists as she went to Artemis. "The eyeliner really accentuates your unique eyes," the Capitol woman granted him a pleased smile.

If there were sentences Artemis had never expected to hear, that one was probably one of them. "Thank you," he said slowly and reluctantly as Effie pushed her group in the elevator and headed for the backstage area of Caesar Flickerman's show where the District 1 and 2 tributes were already waiting.

As they walked behind the others, Caskar stared at them and raised a glittery eyebrow. "Nice eyeliner, Art," he laughed.

Artemis's eyes narrowed, he had a feeling he would not mourn too long over that particular tribute's death if his time would have to come in the Games. "If I were you, I would not comment negatively on other tributes' make up, '_glitter-brows_.'" This was not exactly the kind of insult Artemis was used to come up with, but it did feel really good to say it.

Elon and Crelin turned at the sound of Artemis's voice. They looked at him, not saying a word. Caskar clenched his fists and Geneva whispered something in his ear. The Career tribute smirked before noticing the pair of District 2 teens. "Are you going to stare at them like that forever? Do shiny lights put you in a trance?" he asked them as if they were unintelligent children.

Crelin moved her eyes to him, snapping out of a strange state. "Envious because we're not looking at you?" she asked back in a mocking tone as Elon simply laughed.

"Calm down Caskar," he said.

The District 1 Career gave him a look. Somehow, all of his credibility had left his side when his stylist had applied the second coat of long-lasting silver glitter on his brows.

Artemis smirked with satisfaction.

More tributes then began to arrive, all of them dressed beautifully despite the fact that no one was as eye-catching as the District 3 team… Except, perhaps, for Caskar`s eyebrows.

"Wow, Caskar, I never knew you were on _that_ team," Silver's voice came through the line. "Pink suits you _so_ well," she smirked, moving her blue eyes to Artemis and Silyah. "Still not fooling anyone," she whispered with a wink.

"It's not pink, it's _silver,_ which is a lot worst," spat Caskar as Silyah waved "hello" to the District 6 girl.

Silver raised an eyebrow. "It doesn't suit your skin tone, but then again, I don't really think you can look good in anything," she replied back to the tall, irritating boy.

"Silver, stop provoking him," said the dark-haired boy with pale olive eyes beside her. He was the boy tribute from 6, Jehl Amnel.

Silver sighed, "Fine…" She knew that Jehl was a lot more nervous about the outcomes of the Games than she was.

"I need all of the tributes on stage!" suddenly yelled a man in the show's technical crew who appeared from behind the door leading to the stage.

"Don't let me trip," whispered a smiling Silyah to Artemis when they reached a set of stairs.

He knew that she was just joking; referring to the time when they first arrived in the Capitol. "No worries," the boy whispered back as the spotlight of the stage partially blinded him. On retrospect, it was a good thing that the tributes were not exactly able to make out clear faces in the giant crowd.

The twenty-four teenagers paraded on the stage and sat on their respective chairs; District 1 to 6 on the right side of the stage, 7 to 12 on the left one. In the middle of the stage were two tall chairs, one of which was facing away from the audience. In the seat was a man wearing a shimmering blue suit and aqua-colored hair.

A chorus of trumpets began to play and the massive Capitol crowd gathered in the City Circle, cheering loud enough to be heard from miles away. "Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to your favorite Hunger Games' master of ceremony, the one and only; Caesar Flickerman!" announced Claudius Templesmith and his strong radio voice. At the same moment, a light appeared on the aqua-haired man and he turned to the audience, shining a radiant smile.

"Welcome, welcome, welcome everyone! Welcome to the 80th Annual Hunger Games!" he shouted as he got up, gleaming with confidence. "Aren't you all exited to see the tributes?" he asked with a wide grin; of course, he had the audience at his fingertips. "Well, it seems that the odds are in your favor, because look at who we've got here!"

The host made a brief a brief introduction of his talk show and called up the evening's first tribute, Geneva Crass from District 1.

The young woman walked up to Caesar, her feline features accentuated by her attitude. She looked like a lioness, proud of her looks and ready to attack.

After exactly three minutes, Geneva left her place for Caskar to be interviewed. The boy with the sparkly eyebrows now looked slightly more menacing as he talked about how prepared he was for the Games.

Crelin and Elon from 2 then followed, both vaguely speaking of their everyday lives and interest before discussing possible plans and strategies.

With a heart beating as loud as the cheering audience, Silyah mentally prepared herself to get under the spotlight.

"Our next tribute electrified all of Panem during the official parade and she keeps on shining bright; would you please welcome the lovely Silyah Natho!" shouted Caesar cheerfully. Trying to ignore the pounding in her ears, Silyah did as she was told and walked timidly to the empty chair next to the master of ceremony and smiled and waved at the applauding audience. "Oh my, you look like a techno clockwork angel!" exclaimed Caesar as he shook hands with the girl from 3. The pair sat down and the crowd became more attentive. "Ms. Silyah, I wish to point out your dress. You look amazing, but tell me, are the missing light bulbs on my stage somewhere in there?"

Silyah laughed along with the Capitol citizens. "Maybe, who knows? Perhaps you would have to ask my stylist, Xarone."

Caesar smiled kindly. "Do you like the fashion from the Capitol?"

"I think that it is very interesting," nodded Silyah. "I love how creative the people are."

"I heard somewhere that you actually had already worn light before, is that true?" he wondered.

"Yes, I did. I had designed some enlightened clothing for a project back in District 3. I had combined the teachings of my father, who comes from that District and those from my mother who used to live in 8."

"I'm sure they must have been proud," added Caesar. "How did they react after the Reaping?" Now, the questions were getting more serious.

"They were… shocked," suggested Silyah with a nostalgic smile. A few members of the audience suppressed a laugh. _Shocked._ "My younger brother reacted differently, however. He almost laughed at the way I shook my way on stage."

A collective "awww" came from the crowd. "Do you think that you are ready to face the Games? I see that you are not shaking anymore, so that is an improvement," he smiled at her.

Silyah smiled back, putting just the right hint of sorrow in her eyes. "I don't know if anyone can be ready for such a thing. Physically, I know that I am not the strongest, so I don't allow myself to be too confident… Emotionally, I think that I am fine, but that is my answer _now_. Ask me again when I will set a foot in the arena and I might sound a tad coward," she chuckled. Following Effie's advice, Silyah made eye contacts with Caesar and various members of his audience.

The master of ceremony then went on with a quick round of questions; one of which being about her opinion on the boy tribute for her District.

"I would not want to influence the viewer's opinions by answering, but he is a good person," she elusively answered before smiling and laughing, just like Effie had taught her.

"What do you think you will do first once you will get in the arena?" The tanned turquoise-haired host asked Silyah.

She took a deep breath, analyzing her possibilities. "I will evaluate my surroundings. I will see what the arena has to offer and I will try my hardest to survive."

A buzzer went off. "Seems like we are out of time," Caesar got up and took Silyah's hand. "Best of luck, Silyah Natho, the clockwork angel from District 3!" The audience cheered for the tribute as she went back to her seat, everyone's eyes following her glowing dress and optical fibre-like strands of hair.

Caesar then introduced Artemis and invited him in the chair Silyah had just gotten up from. Artemis sat down after shaking hands with the charismatic host. From somewhere in the crowd, a whistle was heard.

"Looks like you already have some fans," said Caesar, shining his billion watts smile.

Artemis gave a short nod, trying looking at the crowd through the light of the projectors. "Yes, it would appear so… I appreciate it," he said, thanking the one who had whistled.

Caesar laughed. "Oh, if only _I_ could receive that much attention!" he said, almost innocently, causing a new wave of cheers and whistles coming from the Capitol citizens.

"It seems to me that you are rather popular too, not that it surprises me," commented Artemis, the corners of his mouth rising into a smirk.

"Why thank you!" said Caesar to his viewers. "But, let's bring the focus back on the boy beside me." The master of ceremony turned to the young man in question. "Have you ever expected to be selected during the Reaping? From what we have seen during the official videos, you have handled the situation with great calm."

"No, I certainly never thought that I would end up as a tribute… When I heard my name, I was unsure of how to react, I therefore decided to keep my reaction minimal."

Caesar nodded. "I recently learned that during the course of your training days, a certain Peeta Mellark has named you the _Ice Prince_… May we know the story behind the nickname?" he wondered, curious. Fittingly, the boy's outfit, as well as the fibre optics in his hair turned icy blue.

"Well, I don't know if it is as entertaining as you might hope, Caesar, but since you ask, my District companion and I went to Mr. Mellark's camouflage station during training. He asked us to impress him after having given us some camouflage challenges and unknowingly, both Silyah and I painted frost on our arms."

Caesar looked amazed. "Really? What a strange coincidence!"

"Indeed," nodded the pale teen.

"After the training and the private sessions, were you surprised and pleased by your score of seven?"

"Yes, I was rather pleased considering that I am not the most athletic person here. I do enjoy the fact that the Gamemakers took into account intellect instead of just relying on brute force."

"Is that how you plan to survive the Games, brain over brawl?"

"Most likely; as I already told you, my athletic abilities are not exactly in my favor, therefore I will probably rely on my intellect to keep myself alive."

Caesar nodded once again. "Have you discovered any new talents during your training days?"

"I actually managed to discover what I lack talent in," replied Artemis. "However, I master the art of tie knots."

"You know about tie knots? Would you please tell me if mine is all right? I had to do it myself while my stylist was running around to find my jacket," laughter filled the crowd. Caesar certainly knew how to make his guests sound great.

"Of course, Mr. Flickerman." The boy looked carefully at the host's tie. "Well, the knot looks slightly too large compared to the width of the tie…"

Caesar adjusted it. "Better like this?" Artemis nodded his approval. "After you win these Games, I'm counting on you to be my tie expert," Caesar added, making the audience cheer even louder. "That's a deal?"

"I would consider it an honor," said Artemis with a smirk.

The citizens of the Capitol clapped and screamed. "What skill from you District do you think will be the most useful in the arena?"

Artemis gave the host a mysterious smile. "I believe in the element of surprise, therefore, I am afraid you will have to wait to know, Caesar."

"Well, I cannot wait to see what you have in mind," said the master of ceremony as the buzzer went off. "That's all the time we had. Thank you and good luck to Artemis Fowl, the Ice Prince from District 3!" Caesar shook Artemis's hand a second time and Artemis sat back beside Silyah, letting District 4 have their turn up front.

* * *

The anthem of Panem played its last note as the tributes and their teams were sent to the training center's lobby. The District 3 group got into the crystal elevator and headed for their suite.

"So, when did you decide to flirt with the audience, Ice Prince?" Silyah's lips turned into a teasing smile as they went up.

Artemis raised an eyebrow at her. "I would hardly refer to it as flirting, _Clockwork Angel_, it was simply a strategy."

The elevator's doors opened up. The mentor, escort and stylists were the first ones to pass and then Silyah followed Artemis out of the crystal entrance, her heart skipping a beat as she let out a frightened squeal.

She would have fallen face-first if Artemis had not caught her as her thin high heel got stuck into the small crack between the elevator and the District 3 floor. However, as Artemis had never been the one for instincts, he had reacted just in time to catch the girl, but not exactly quickly enough not to be taken by surprise by the sudden weight pulling on him. The result: the two tributes crashed to the floor.

After her heart actually started beating again, Silyah got to her feet and held a hand for Artemis to get up. She went pale when she realized how close they had been and how she had ended up right on top of him just like in her dream… At least they had fallen on a soft carpet rather than on treacherous ice. "Are you okay?" asked the girl.

"Yes, I think so…" replied Artemis, getting up and smoothing out his jacket. "I've had worst falls than this."

Silyah grabbed him gently by the shoulder to maintain her balance as she raised her foot to take off her high heels.

"I'm glad they did not force me into a pair of these," said Artemis. For some reason, which he could not comprehend, his heart was also beating considerably faster… It was probably the sudden fall…

Silyah smiled. "Don't let Effie hear that, she might get some ideas for you! I just hope that the tribute's arena uniform will not include those," she said, removing her second shoe.

"I would highly doubt so… Everybody dying because of broken ankles; not exactly thrilling…" Artemis shook his head, now noticing for the first time that Silyah was shorted than him by an inch.

"Death by fashion, how dramatic! How… Fashionistic!" laughed the girl over her clear rapid heartbeat.

"Ah, yes, we better keep that idea to ourselves."

Silyah nodded and looked in Artemis's mismatching eyes. Her stare held Artemis's for a rather long time, until it almost became uncomfortable…

"Silyah?" wondered the boy.

The girl shook her head, fighting against her blush. "Sorry," she mouthed.

"Silyah? Artemis?" called Effie's voice from somewhere between the kitchen and the living room. "We're going to watch the recaps of the interviews while having supper."

Artemis sighed. "We are on our way, but first I really have to get the eyeliner out of my eyes."

"Oh, hush, it suits you," laughed Silyah. "But if you insist, Xarone left some makeup remover on my bathroom sink."

Artemis gave her a stern look.

"Do you need help taking it off?" she offered slightly awkwardly.

"Yes, please," admitted the boy.

Silyah led him to her room, glad that her toes were now free of her shoes. Once she got to the bathroom, she grabbed a small cloth dabbed in make up remover and tried her best not to poke Artemis's eyes.

"This is why men are not supposed to wear make up," murmured Artemis with annoyance.

"Men?' She raised a teasing eyebrow at him. "Stop blinking that much, I don't want to hurt you!"

"Strange thing to say for a person who will soon be placed in an arena for the only purpose of killing the 23 others…" commented Artemis in a dry tone.

"Do you want my help?" she asked, bothered by Artemis's comment. It reminded her too much of the dark part of her brain; the one which had sent her her nightmare.

The boy sighed. "Yes…"

After a few painful seconds, Silyah dropped the cloth. "There you go," she said softly. "It's the best I can do for now."

"Thank you."

Silyah was silent for a moment, eyeing Artemis's and her reflection in the bathroom mirror. "Before we go," she turned around slowly, facing Artemis. "This might be the last time we will get to speak together, so I have to tell you; you are the only real friend I've ever had in a very, _very_ long time… Just… Thank you for that," she uttered. Artemis was slightly taken aback. He gave her a sincere smile and a look that could have been interpreted as apologetic. What else could he do? "Let's go see our interviews," then said Silyah, trying to sound cheerful, while in fact she was not exactly sure that she really wanted to see what she had looked like during her three minutes in the spotlight.

"If we must," replied Artemis with just as much conviction as his fellow tribute.


	17. Chapter Sixteen, The Countdown

**_Chapter Sixteen, The Countdown_**

Effie had brought everyone's supper in the living room, where the colossal television screen showed Caesar's incredible smile.

The group watched for the second time the District 1 team take the stage. Geneva had been beautiful in a crystal encrusted dark green gown; her whole leg had been peeking through a slit in the skirt, revealing her not so timid behavior. She told precise answers without a single touch of humor.

Speaking of humor, when Caskar appeared on the screen, even Effie could not have resisted the urge to laugh. His glittery eyebrows added to his jeweled metallic suit was a pure mockery, but as if to take his revenge on the laughing tributes, most of the sentences he spoke ended with a threat directed towards them.

"Once I will be in the arena," Caskar told the host, "the other tributes better run because I won't even need to get myself a weapon at the Cornucopia." He showed off his fists, which had been painted in silver.

"After having seen the other tributes, do you really think that victory is reachable?" Caesar asked him.

Caskar sneered. "I never tell people how confident I am, they would be too terrified. _And _combat would not be as amusing."

Artemis let out a snort. Never tell people how confident he was? "There would be no need for him to _tell_ people about his self-esteem," commented the raven-haired boy. "It is shining out of his pores… Or that might just be the glitter."

Silyah laughed at his analysis of the Career. "So true!"

"Seems like your sense of humor is rubbing off on him," contemplated Beetee, laughing along. "Nevertheless, you must not underestimate Caskar. He is pretentious, but he seems dangerous."

Artemis nodded, "I think you're already mentioned it quite a few times, Beetee."

"Good, it means that it is to be well understood," he replied.

"Of course." Artemis had personally no urge to face Caskar in the arena.

On the screen, Crelin sat in the interview chair, dressed in a pretty strapless dress with crystals at the waist. Her skirt was above her knees at the front and sweeping the floor at the back. The camera closed up on her face as she answered the first question. Something about the District 2 girl's sea blue eyes seemed off to Artemis and he observed exactly the same phenomenon in Elon's when he took the stage.

The boy was wearing a more classical suit than the rest of the tributes, just a black outfit with a hint of grey shine. He looked really strong, but he seemed to avoid Caesar's stare. Instead, as he spoke, he constantly looked in the Gamemaker's balcony's direction.

"Why doesn't he look at the camera or at the audience?" wondered Effie, clearly displeased with Elon's attitude. "Talk about manners," she shook her head, making her wig's curls bounce around her face.

Artemis knew the reason behind the boy's look. He knew who the District 2 boy was looking at…

But his stream of thoughts was interrupted by Silyah, who hid her blushing face in her curls. "Here I come…" She peaked at the screen through her hair.

"Silyah, remove you hair from your eyes, trust me you want to see the look on your face when Caesar asked you about the lightbulbs on your dress," said Artemis.

She tossed her still-glowing curls back and looked at the screen.

"Oh my, you look like a techno clockwork angel!" said Caesar. Silyah contemplated her image on the television. Her illuminated dress did indeed give off an angelic aura. She turned to Xarone, then looked down on herself, her skirt still glowing bright. She played around with the fabric of the dress as her eyes darted back to the stylist. "I still can't believe that I got to wear this beautiful gown," she smiled. "I can't thank you enough, it's amazing!"

"My pleasure," replied the stylist. "Ilranor and I worked night and day to find the perfect attire." That would explain why Silyah and Artemis had once again matched with the other's outfit.

Effie took the mental note to call back those two designers to dress her up during her next Capitol party.

Silyah's attention went back to the screen. She looked as if an edge of shyness was still lingering in her, but she was mostly comfortable and sweet-looking when she spoke.

"You did well," commented Artemis. "Caesar seems to make you sound less shy."

"You think that I can't handle attention at this point in the Games?" asked Silyah in a joking tone. "That is just too cute of you."

Artemis was taken by surprise, which clearly showed through his mismatching eyes. Cute?

Silyah was extremely amused by the boy's look.

"I think that your interview went just according to plan," Beetee told Silyah. "You charmed the audience with your positive personality. Now it's your turn, Artemis."

If Artemis had been pale before, the beaming spotlight on him added to the concealer he wore made him look almost see through, which was just a perfect metaphor considering that the interview was supposed to give the viewers a glimpse of the Ice Prince's mind.

"The Ice Prince…" pondered Effie, watching both the Artemis on screen and the one in the living room with her. "It truly does suit you," she added with a satisfied smile.

"Long like the Clockwork Angel and the Ice Prince!" said Ilranor, a huge bright white smile stretching on her face. Long live? Strange thing to say considering the tributes' eminent fate…

Artemis's interview answers pleased Beetee. He had this cold – halfway between sarcastic and ironic humor, which truly entranced the audience. _Cold humor, perfect for the Ice Prince, _thought the mentor, smiling.

"You know, now that you have mentioned it, it is true that Caesar's tie looked a bit odd at the beginning of the show," contemplated Effie.

"I really wish you will like to be Caesar's official tie-fixer," added Silyah with a small smirk. Artemis looked at the girl.

"Oh, Artemis, just look at your hair!" clapped Ilranor, proud of her new invention. "And look at how your features are accentuated by Izolt's work!"

"Maybe a sponsor could send you eyeliner in the arena. We never know, it might help to distract some of the female tributes' attention… And probably Kalheb's... He might want to steal it from you," joked Silyah.

Artemis suppressed a small chuckle and it was Effie's turn to be unamused.

Harbor and Aquilna Pearl from District 4 were then interviewed, showing no particular support for one another even though they were cousins.

The tributes from 5, Novia Imous and Lynick Reah, did not seem to be competitive, however, they looked well prepared and rather confident. The 15-years-old Novia looked like an elf in her silky, dark green dress.

The next ones were Silver and Jehl.

"Why did you volunteer for the Games? Did you know the girl whose name had been picked?" Caesar asked the young woman.

"Yes," nodded Silver. "I knew her and I volunteered because I thought she was way too young to die. I used to teach her and some other young children in my District when their parents could not afford school," she said, nostalgic and rather stunning in a blue gown that complimented her eyes.

"I will ally with her," announced Silyah to her mentor.

"She looked very… aggressive during training," mentioned Beetee.

"That's only if you are on her bad side," Silyah pointed out as Caesar asked the District 6 tribute about the thin ring on her left hand.

"Oh," Silver actually blushed, though that might have been a practiced move. "It's an engagement ring," she told to the audience.

"May we know who is the lucky person you will try to go back home for?"

"His name is Edan Yale… We teached together back in our District," she said, "and I will do everything in my power to make sure that I will reunite with him…"

"See; not that aggressive," Silyah replied to Beetee.

"That's only because she does not have a weapon in hand," said Artemis, still slightly bitter about how Silver constantly brought back the subject of _Silyah and he_.

The Caesar Flickerman's show progressed on the screen, the participants from 7 each taking their turn to be interviewed. Acassie Fretwer, twelve years old and Moss Alsevre, thirteen years of age, made up the duo with the youngest age ratio.

From District 8, Thea Garber looked like a flower made of sunshine in her frilly yellow dress.

When Kalheb, District 9, appeared on the screen, Effie let a smirk paint itself on her lips. The boy was clearly only relying on his looks. He was wearing a shirt with a deep collar that gave the viewers a peek at his muscular chest. Even the young Marellie Tabrett, the twelve-year-old from his District, could not keep her eyes off the slit in his shirt.

"You were whistled at only once, right?" asked Silyah to Artemis while rolling her eyes; annoyed with how Kalheb acted when he was in public. She had talked to him a few times, and he was far from being that much of a show, but when the audience was involved, he became a pure symbol of narcissism.

"One time was just enough."

Silyah raised both of her eyebrows and whistled at him. "Well, that's your second one," she chuckled.

Artemis rolled his eyes in disbelief.

On the screen, Kalheb took off the jacket that was over his shirt and reached for a flower in its pocket, showing off a well-built arm in the motion. Caesar asked him if the rose was meant for him, which amused the audience. Kalheb apologized to the master of ceremony and threw it somewhere in the audience to the pleasure of the girl who caught it.

Artemis lightly shook his head. "I really don't like him." Silyah agreed with him and Effie sighed.

Unfortunately – or fortunately on a matter of perspective – the District 10 tributes, Trinicia Jestov and Jethro Mellrit, were interviewed in front of a crowd which was still under the effects of Kalheb's physical appearance.

Delise Novo and Zinque Chart, the dark-skinned tributes from the agriculture district show through their questions and answers and they were probably the ones with the most endurance in the whole competition, only followed by Quartz Dahlai and Scpenser Ross from the poorest of the District, District 12.

"Do you think that this year's Hunger Games may get another winner from you District?" asked Caesar to the tall boy from the Seam.

"Maybe… Who knows? What I know is that I am strong and that I have been trained by very strong victors, so I just might have my chances," answered Scpenser.

And on that last note, Caesar closed off this year's Tributes Interviews and requested from the audience to go vote for their favorite participants as soon as the show would end.

Beetee lowered the volume of the television. "What did you think?" he asked his tributes.

"This year has some very interesting participants… I think that if we want to survive, we will have to stay smart," replied Silyah.

"Smart and likable!" added Effie.

Artemis took a deep breath and nodded. "Seems like that was all for the evening, mind helping me out of this outfit Ilranor?"

"Of course, Artemis," the stylist answered. The woman in gold got up and followed Artemis in his room.

Silyah sighed. "I'll have to get some sleep too," she said, disappointed to have to let go of the dress she loved so much. "Good night everyone." She got up, still playing with her glowing skirt and left the living room with her own stylist.

Effie lowered her voice. "Do you think that they stand a chance for tomorrow?"

Beetee adjusted his glasses over his nose. "Truth to be told, if you had asked me the question just after the Reaping, I would have replied that they bond to die right away…" He looked at the screen, which was showing the faces of the twenty-four tributes and their training scores. "But now, I have trust in them… If only they were not so easy-going with one another…"

* * *

Before Silyah got the chance to fall asleep, a soft knock came through the door of her room. She wrapped a warm blanket around her shoulders as she got up to let her mentor in. She was hoping to get some final words of advice from the man, but she was also praying that this time they would not cause her horrible nightmares.

Beetee went to the small desk beside Silyah's bed, opening his notebook to the page dedicated to the girl tribute. "How do you feel?" she asked her.

"Mostly tired… And there is something really strange going on in my throat and stomach," she said, unable to completely express her fears.

"Stress is kicking in, right?"

Silyah nodded. "And it's not just stress. It's worry and panic laced together… But we can't really do anything about that."

"Well, I came here to review the strategy we came up with," Beetee told her. "Tomorrow, you will directly be sent to the preparation area as you wake up, so here we go…" He recited her the plan they had prepared through the course of the week, making a few adjustment at Silyah's request of teaming up with Silver and Novia. The mentor then asked her a few questions to put her to the test.

At one point, Beetee asked her the question that had been worrying him since the early days after the Reaping; he questioned her on what she would do if she ever came to find Artemis on the brink of death. Silyah frowned. Would she leave him there so that she would not have to kill him, or save him to pay back for the horrors her twisted imagination might have envisioned for her future in the arena? She brushed the question away, saying that if a situation as such was to present itself, she would act by instinct and by considering the impacts of her choice on the spot. The girl then let out a yawn and blinked, as if the prove him that she was really tired. Beetee judged best to let his tribute rest and wishing her good luck and good night, he headed for Artemis's room.

The boy was not yet asleep either, though he would also need the precious seconds night would offer him. Instead, he was sitting on his bed; writing down notes in a small notebook Beetee had given him.

"Strategies?" wondered Beetee as he saw the book in Artemis's hands.

"Yes," nodded the boy, closing it and putting his pen aside. "And I believe that you are here to discuss that very topic."

The mentor took a seat in a chair beside the teenager. "Exaclty… You remember what we established already, right?"

"Of course I remember," even those you did not possess the intellect of Artemis Fowl II were sure to recall the things that would possibly save their lives.

"Good, so just to recap, do not stop directly at the Cornucopia, you are a fast thinker and I believe that you have the creative spirit to help you, therefore see what you can get from the nature around you and only then see if there is something reachable that comes from the Gamemakers, take the chance if you want to."

Artemis nodded. "I had already decided to do as such; I have absolutely no intention of dying in the bloodbath."

"You will not know what the arena will look like, so be ready to face anything, by the way. Now, there is something I want you to do; first, observe the settings and second, you must pick an ally according to their strengths. Do not make many allies; just make sure to keep a good one around. In order to lure one in, simply show them what an advantage you could be."

"Understood," nodded the boy. It was an alien feeling to have someone tell _him _how he should act, but he was not going to question a man who actually had survived those murderous Games; knowledge was still a valuable thing after all.

Beetee then gave the boy some other quick survival tricks he had used during his own stay in the Hunger Games and allowed him to share his own tactics. Afterwards, just out of curiosity, he asked Artemis the same question he had asked Silyah… "If you were to find her on the verge of death somewhere in the arena, how would you react?" he asked.

Artemis frowned. "Sadly, it is most likely that I will be on the brink of death before her, but if this situation was to occur, I would help her. Our chances of surviving would definitely improve together depending on how bad her injury might be," said Artemis with as little emotion as possible. Holly crossed his mind… Through their friendship, the elf had proven to him that allies were always the difference between life and death.

Beetee looked at his watch as he closed his notebook. "Well, Artemis… May the odds be _ever_ in your favor… Good night," Beetee closed Artemis's door behind him, hoping and wishing for his tributes' success.

Artemis laid down on his bed, thinking. He wondered if Beetee had asked Silyah what would she do if he were about to die. It was likely… What could she have answered? Hopefully nothing too worrying…

As Artemis brought his covers over his shoulders, one of the Avoxes closed his room's light for the boy's final night in the Capitol…

* * *

The next morning, a gloomy mood was hovering over the twenty-four tributes residing in the Training Center.

Ilranor woke Artemis up at soon as dawn shined through the sky and gave the boy a black T-Shirt and a pair of cargo pants similar to the training attire, but slightly warmer.

"Thank you," Artemis said faintly. It was already amazing for the designer to notice that he voice was not trembling.

The lady who always seemed to wear gold led the District 3 tribute to the glass elevator. From the corner of his eye, Artemis saw Effie and Beetee waving goodbye to him. Effie's eyes somehow looked vaguely puffier than they had the night before…

Artemis drew a deep breath as his stylist and he got to the roof of the building. Instead of the colorful decorations and overall good mood that had previously filled the place a few nights earlier, a hovercraft awaited and greeted the pair. A ladder descended from the machine as Artemis walked to the vehicle, followed by Ilranor. He grabbed the ladder and suddenly, he was frozen in place. During the time it took him to be lifted inside of the futuristic plane, Artemis wondered what kind of technology caused his hands to lock over the ladder.

A woman in a white coat then appeared into view, a thick syringe in her hand. "This is called a tracker, Artemis. Stay still and it will be placed in your arm more easily," she told him in a cold tone.

Artemis could praise himself lucky that he was not afraid of needles… Nevertheless, Artemis let out a gasp. That needle had hurt even more than the first time Holly had hit him. A sharp pain had filled his entire arm as the woman inserted his tracking device under his skin.

From then on, he officially appeared on the Gamemaker's screens.

Ilranor climbed on board shortly after Artemis and guided him to a place where a breakfast had been served. The stylist told Artemis to eat anything his stomach could hold, just in case he might not have a quick access to food in the arena.

The young man nodded. "I will…" he said, even if he did not exactly feel hungry due to the circumstances.

A good healthy breakfast and half an hour later, every window the tributes might have had access to within the hovercraft darkened.

"To keep the location of the arena a secret, I assume," said Artemis.

Ilranor nodded.

"You will be watching the Games," then commented Artemis, matter-of-factly.

"Yes, I will," answered Ilranor though she knew that Artemis's statement had not been a question. "And believe me, I will always be on District 3's side no matter what could happen."

"Thank you for the support…"

"I would never leave the Ice Prince and the Clockwork Angel down," she smiled at him.

Artemis replied to her smile with a genuine one; and those were rare coming from him.

Eventually, the stylist and the tribute were directed towards the ladder of the hovercraft once again. They were dropped into a dark tunnel, which led into catacombs. A Peacekeeper waited for them at the bottom of the tunnel, the man in white taking them to a door on which was written "MALE 3."

"This is it; your final stop…" Ilranor spoke quietly, putting a gentle hand on Artemis's shoulder.

"My final stop," Artemis repeated, his voice not so steady anymore. He looked at his stylist with something that could only be fright shining through his mismatching eyes.

Ilranor brought Artemis in the room and instructed him to go take a quick shower before the Games.

The teen nodded, heading for the small bathroom in the dim-lighted room.

After he got out, Ilranor handed him some undergarments and the same clothes she had given him in the morning and combed his raven black hair. After she was done, she opened a bag of clothes and looked through it. She pulled out a navy blue coat with multiple removable layers. "There is a small backpack directly sewed on the back of the coat, that way you will be able to put the layers you don't use in there."

"Smart," commented Artemis.

"And quite fashionable it you want my opinion," she pointed to the seams of the garment, which were of an icy blue color. "Very suiting," she winked, revealing that she had been the one requesting the color of the District 3 team. She helped to boy to get in his coat and gave him the boots that went along with it. They went slightly higher than his ankles and were made of a black material, which seemed very sturdy yet, extremely light. Ilranor then reached for one last thing in the pocket of her dress… It was Artemis's coin. She gave it to him, an encouraging smile on her lips.

Artemis took it between his fingers and threw the chain around his neck.

"Do you want some time alone before you are called?"

"No, I will get enough time alone in the arena…"

The woman offered him a glass of water and a bowl of fruit to snack on. Ilranor then told him to go brush his teeth; there was very little time left before the call.

When the inevitable time came, Ilranor took Artemis's hand and led him to a circular plate in the corner of the small room. "Best of luck, Artemis Fowl," she said as a countdown appeared on a screen on the wall.

5… 4… 3…

"Make us proud, Ice Prince!" called out Ilranor, her head high.

2… A glass tube circled Artemis. The boy took a deep breath. _Make us proud…_ He would sure try.

1…

The tube was raised above the ground and led Artemis, as well as the other twenty-three tributes into the heart of the arena.

The light of day blinded the tributes when they emerged from the ground.

Once he got his own sight back, Artemis looked around, seeing Silver to his right and the small girl from District 8, Thea, on the other side.

A sixty seconds countdown began.

Silyah tried to locate everyone around her. At her sides were Elon and Zinque from 11. She could not see Artemis… Perhaps he had been placed right in front of her, hidden by the golden Cornucopia…

The girl took in the settings. The Cornucopia was located in the center of a huge circular meadow, which was surrounded by walls of water. Three enormous waterfalls, each segregated by three different paths, were trapping the tributes in the bloodbath… They would have to hike in order to get out of the meadow and get to a safer place… The air smelled of fresh grass, water and forest and the weather was temperate; warm with a sweet and cool breeze coming from the falls.

The major supplies, such as weapons and provisions were gathered at the mouth of the Cornucopia, while some other things such as bed sheets, small water bottles and nearly empty backpacks were scattered around the circle formed by the platforms.

Drawing one collective breath, the tributes waited for the countdown to end.

As he breathed, Artemis could feel that he was trembling… _So, this is how Silyah felt like during the Reaping, _he thought. His legs were shaking underneath the fabric of his black cargo pants.

Four seconds remained. While nervous hearts were beating loud, Caskar threw on a victorious smirk.

Artemis, on the other side, kept his face stern. _Don't let them see the fear._ Two seconds were left.

Claudius Templesmith activated his microphone. "Let the 80th Annual Hunger Games begin!"

As long as the first sixty seconds had been, the next ones passed in a distorted flash. Many tributes headed straight for the Cornucopia. Either they killed, either they died.

* * *

_«It seems like like this chapter was the last one of the _first part_ of Artemis Fowl and the Games of Hunger. Stay tuned for Part II.»_

_«Also, please notify that you may proceed at voting for your favorite tributes by leaving a review; the authors of this story intend on making a poll similar to the Capitol's with you, readers, as the Panem audience. Thank you, and may the odds be _ever_ in your favor.»_


	18. Chapter Seventeen, Bloodshed

**Part II, "The Alliance"**

_**Chapter Seventeen, Bloodshed**_

Artemis followed Beetee's advice, as well as his instinct, attempting to take whatever was in front of him and hurry away… Easier said than done. The boy got hold of a water bottle and a sleeping bag, but that was all he managed to get without risking too much.

Caskar tossed the District 10 boy's body away as he took yet another step towards the Cornucopia. Jethro Mellrit had been the first victim of this year's Hunger Games, thanks to the young man from 1. The Career tribute jumped on a set of dagger; stuffing two of them in his pant's pockets and keeping one in his hand. He then turned away from the Cornucopia, his dagger and fists ready to harm anyone coming his way. From the corner of his eye, he saw Geneva kill the boy from 5, who had lost his glasses in the rumble of the first sixty seconds. He searched around in the arena, looking for _the_ people he truly craved to exterminate… Not too far from him, he caught a brown-haired girl taking down two tributes with a blow cane. She was not the first one on his kill list, but she would still do… Caskar launched for Silver.

The girl from 6 heard the sound of metal slicing through the air, making her take a sharp turn, blocking off the attack with her cane. She focused on her new foe, a smirk stretching on her lips as she took in his identity. She gave Caskar a quick wink, picking up bags and weapons from the ground before running off. She had more important things to do than to play-fight with the Career. Since the start of the Games, Silver had shown absolutely no fear, nor had she restrained herself from taking usuful things at the Cornucopia; she had a blow cane in one hand and a large backpack in the other... Not only had she found some pretty good material, but she also had taken two tributes down with her newfound weapon; it had been a quick and painless approach.

Caskar swore. He had tried to follow Silver, but Cylan Actraz, the tribute from 8, had nearly fallen on him, or at least his corpse almost fell at his feet. Avoiding the dead body, Caskar looked up to see Kalheb, who was more than satisfied with his first kill. The tribute from 1 then spotted Acassie from afar. The girl was dodging a handful of running tributes, trying to get to a small stash of glimmering weapons.

The resources around the Cornucopia were going down rather quickly… There was no more seconds to lose… For Caskar, now was the time to gather his people in order to claim the remaining supplies as their own. He began to run towards Acassie, only to be interrupted by Trinicia Jestov. _I might as well finish off District 10,_ thought the young man as his dagger pierced the girl's chest.

"Acassie!" shouted Caskar as he headed towards her.

She was beginning to sort out her various knives, which were all shiny and still unused. "Hey, Caskar! I just saw Silver passing by with way to many weapons for her own good," she pointed the end of a knife in the direction Silver had taken.

"I know," grunted the Career quickly. "We're going to take care of her later, but for now go gather everyone so we can split the equipment," he commanded, already beginning to gather and guard the weapons and food that would belong to _his_ group for the rest of the Games.

The redheaded girl nodded before running off in the meadow. She was fast and a little more than agile, but during her swift run, someone caught her eye…

Artemis was sprinting; something that was not exactly on his list of favorite activities. He could both feel and hear his heart beating in his ears, tasting the blood in his mouth. His teeth had been clenched so hard during the past few minutes that he had bit the inside of his cheek…

Deep within him, he could still feel N°1's magic, but the barricade separating his body from his time period was still preventing him from escaping Panem.

Artemis allowed himself to take a quick look behind him. The meadow around the Cornucopia was becoming a much more tranquil place. There were a few tributes fighting over backpacks here and there, but most of those who had not died were in the process of getting to safety or trying to be unnoticed. The Irish boy then turned his gaze back to the path in front of him, only to be suddenly halted. The slender teenager had been mere inches away from hitting a tall wall of stone, which stood right in between him and a possible escape. Artemis stopped to catch his breath, searching a way up the wall when the weak sound of boots against the grass made his head turn sharply. The redheaded girl from District 7 stood behind him, a throwing knife spinning between her fingers like a drill rod.

"_Dead_ end, Art?" said Acassie in a mocking tone.

Artemis had to fight not to let his heart throb out of his body. The spinning of the blade made him shiver… Well, he would have lasted at least 10 minutes in those blasted Games; probably more than what most people would have hoped for.

Acassie grinned, liking the sound her precious weapon made each time it completed one turn. The girl threw her hand back, ready to attack. Caskar would be mad at her for killing the annoying boy, but she could make it look like an accident, couldn't she? She took her aim, slowly letting go of the knife's handle, but seconds before the weapon left her hand, a small metallic object passed right under her nose. She let out a surprised gasp, the course of her blade now deviating towards Artemis's left collarbone. A throw that could have been fatal had been rendered harmless – though still painful – by a vulgar distraction. The redheaded girl spun on her heels, searching for the person who had interrupted her attack. There was no one in sight apart from the gathering Careers at the middle of the meadow. Quickly, she turned back around, seeing the raven-haired boy trying clumsily to make his way up the rocks. For a second, she debated whether or not to throw him a second knife, but a second foreign object made of polished metal passed by her head, forcing her to let go of her prey. At least she had managed to injure the pale teenager… And she would let Caskar have his little fun later on…

Artemis got hold of the façade of the rocky wall ahead of him. He tried to take a glance over and around it. There was a path of grass right beside it, but it looked far too treacherous and slippery due to the closeness of the waterfall. He would be forced to continue on the rough stones in order to make his way to the upper part of the arena.

Artemis's fingers were not made for climbing, but at this point, it did not matter much. The climb was a mechanical process; getting hold of something, get up or die… And dying was not something Artemis wanted to experience so shortly after having escaped a possibly fatal situation. Somehow, finding the science within his activity made it easier for him. The force he had to apply in order to yank his way up the wall would have to be equal to his mass times the acceleration; Sir Isaac Newton have proved it.

Being careful not to slip in the blood dripping from his shoulder or on the waterfall's mist delicately falling on the rocks, Artemis grabbed anything that looked solid and hiked. _With an injured shoulder, Newton's laws are somewhat harder to put in practice,_ he thought, wincing in pain.

Eventually, there were no more rocks to climb… Artemis stood on top of what looked like a small mountain filled with large caves. He glanced down on the meadow below him. Six dead bodies had been left on the ground around the golden Cornucopia. A few people remained by a pile of weapons, seemingly arguing about whom could get what supplies.

Looking higher up, Artemis saw that the path he had taken was by far the most hazardous one of the three paths leading upwards, hence the lack of tributes running after him. The boy's blood had left a long trail from the bottom of the rocks up to where he stood.

Artemis sank down on a small rock, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath before pulling the loose knife from his burning flesh. He could never have hoped to hold back his scream. Even through the pain, he felt so thankful for whatever had distracted Acassie. If it had not been for her lack of attention, the knife would have fallen right on his neck artery.

A slow gush of blood leaked from Artemis's wound, making his head start to spin, just like the blade when it had been between Acassie's fingers. Steadying his breath, Artemis searched the rocks with his gaze, trying to find something to tend his wound. The first thing that caught his attention was a small patch of moss just beside his foot. Slowly, he picked up some of it and pressed it against his hurting shoulder. He would be safe for now; he only had to control his magic so that his wound would seem to heal normally to the Games' watchers…

Inside the arena, cannons began to announce the first deaths of the 80th Hunger Games.

* * *

Claudius Templesmith could not believe his eyes, or at least, that's what he told his audience. "Caesar, I knew that this year's tributes looked particularly strong, but I would _never_ have expected _this_ to happen at the Cornucopia!" He checked his statistics once again, just to make sure that he had not misread anything. "This year, ladies and gentlemen, only six people met their end in the initial bloodbath."

"The others just flew away; disappeared somewhere in the arena," added Caesar Flickerman.

Claudius made a sound of agreement. "However, we must admit that even though these tributes just beat the record for the fewest deaths in the first twenty-five minutes, we got to see some pretty intense scenes."

"Of course, we did!" Just look at that replay!" On every screen in Panem was a recap of the moment when the last second of the countdown ticked away.

Caskar had been the fasted to reach the Cornucopia, making if really easy for him to make the first kill of the Games. A few smart tributes took some supplies and then hurried away to the nearest of the three paths which had been made for them to climb.

The camera then zoomed on the Cornucopia, where the small but ruthless blood bath was still taking place.

"I really hope that some people had placed their bets correctly," said Caesar, looking closely at the action from behind his immaculate white desk.

"Oh my! Just look at this!" exclaimed Claudius with all of the Games' excitement. "Silver Canemon, the female tribute from District 6 made a very strong début in those first minutes! Two tributes almost at once for the girl with the blow cane!"

"Very surprising for a girl who scored a 6 in training… But tell me, Claudius, wasn't one of her victims Jehl Amnel, the boy from her own District?" wondered Caesar.

"Yes, I believe so," replied Claudius with the perfect incredulous tone. "I wonder what went on between these two for such a thing to happen."

Caskar suddenly appeared on screen, a mad look raging in his eyes.

"Clearly, these two do not get along," laughed Caesar as he watched the confrontation between Caskar and Silver. "Watch out for them later on, they are full of promises."

The viewers were then directed towards Kalheb's muscular arms. At the tip of his strong fist was the boy from District 8. Kalheb only hit once on Cylan's temple and the dead boy fell close to Caskar.

"That was brutal," commented Claudius with an admiring tone. "Almost as brutal as the second kill of the Games, which has been made by Geneva Crass. Lynik Reah from 5 unfortunately lost his glasses fairly early after the countdown, allowing Geneva to get hold of him rather quickly."

On screen, the focus was now back on Caskar. "Do you think that the boy from District 1 is trying to take down the other tributes by pair?" asked Caesar to his co-host.

"Maybe. Right now it sure looks like it, Caesar."

The two announcers observed their monitors closely. "What have we got here?" Caesar's suspicious tone caught Panem's curiosity. "A group seems to be forming at the mouth of the Cornucopia…"

"An alliance already?"

"It sure looks like it, Claudius."

* * *

Effie let out a gasp of horror when she saw Acassie's knife piercing Artemis's collarbone. Her heart had even started to speed up… Was that stress? Why was she so affected by her tribute's fate?

From her seat, Ilranor mumbled something about his outfit being resistant enough to protect the pale boy from any permanent damage.

"Actually, Ilranor, I think that what saved Artemis was whatever distracted Acassie," mentioned Beetee.

Ilranor nodded. "Yes of course, but the outfit did provide some defense."

A camera followed Artemis's progress as he stepped on the first rocks near the waterfalls, leaving a trail of crimson blood behind him. "I would have thought that the Ice Prince's blood would have been blue," laughed Effie to ease the tense mood in the room as the District 3 team was at the edge of their seats, looking at their giant screen. The woman was apparently the only one to find her comment funny… Needless to say, she was not handling stress very well and she found it exceptionally annoying. She, who had been an escort for more years than she could remember, had never felt such a thing.

The scene then changed from Artemis's slow and painful hike to Caskar having an argument with Elon about who should lead their group. When Acassie ran towards the Career's alliance, Caskar's rage rose by a few notches.

"I ask you to gather everyone and you go off on your own little killing spree?" shouted the brown-haired Career. "And to top it all off, you let him escape! Really? I should have known that you were not worthy of us."

"Relax, Caskar. I wounded your prey. You wanted an exciting hunt, did you not? We'll find him later on, it's not like he's not leaving a trail of blood behind him," said the redhead.

Caskar breathed deeply. "Anyway, as I was saying, some people are made leaders, some are born leaders and I was born with it. _I_ will take the lead, Elon."

The tall District 2 boy shrugged. He was not going to change Caskar's mind at this point.

"And would you two please stop making out?" nearly screamed Caskar, directing a harsh stare towards Kalheb and Geneva. The feline-looking girl let go of the muscular District 9 boy and grinned.

"Sorry for just trying to have a good time here," Kalheb replied to the new leader.

A few seconds later, Crelin made her way towards the Career's extended group, her arms filled with the water bottles she had purified for everyone. "Can we go now?" she asked. "Feeling too exposed around the Cornucopia."

"The tributes from 2 are really strange," contemplated Effie as the screen went back to showing Artemis. The boy had now reached the top of the rock.

The District 3 team winced collectively when they say their boy tribute removing the blade from his flesh. Xarone covered his eyes with his tattooed hands as the blade slid from Artemis's shoulder.

_No, don't make a sound!_ Thought Effie, annoyed with herself. She shivered as Artemis's scream echoed against the rocks around him. Seeing the pain filling the tribute's eyes made the escort's stomach turn.

"That wound must not feel too good," said Caesar.

"At least, apart from the scream, the boy knew how to handle the situation. He's already putting some moss in there; he knows that it's going to absorb the blood," comment Claudius.

That last remark soothed Effie. Yes, Artemis was smart, and so was Silyah for that matter. The two of them could survive for at least one more day…


	19. Chapter Eighteen, Win or Die

_**Chapter Eighteen, Win or Die**_

Amongst a pile of massive rocks, a young woman was hiding, silently looking through what she had gotten at the Cornucopia; a set of bed sheets wrapped in a closable plastic bag, a small first-aid kit, which she had caught flying in mid air when people threw themselves at the supplies and… well that was pretty much it.

She tucked the bed sheets in the pocket at the back of her navy blue coat and then carefully looked around to see if there were any other tributes near. Sensing no dangers in the area close by, she walked towards the river that fed the arena's waterfalls and filled her plastic bag with cold water. She purified it with a few iodine drops she had found in her first-aid kit, mentally thanking whoever had thrown it towards her. She secured the kit around her belt and sat down, waiting by the river, watching the fast current flow into the arena's biggest waterfall. From where she was, she could see some of the tributes' launching platforms, as well as the hovercraft, which had just entered the arena to pick up the blood bath's victims. The girl heard six loud canons ringing in the air.

"Silyah?" a feminine voice came from behind the girl.

Silyah choked back a gasp and tried to calm her heartbeat as she turned around to face the girl tribute from District 5. "Oh, it's you!" Silyah was glad that Novia had been the one who scared her and not one of the Careers. "How's Silver?" she asked her.

The black haired girl smiled. "Good, I hope. If everything went according to plan, she'll be around soon."

Silyah nodded slowly. "Thank you for accepting my offer, by the way." She reached for the plastic bag beside her. "Do you want some water?"

"Yes," the petite girl sat down in front of her ally. "Nice," she said, nodding at the improvised bottle. "Though, mine might work better," she added with a wink.

The District 3 tribute offered the bag to Novia, letting her fill up her own water bottle. "You know, you do with what you can get here," she explained with a shrug.

"Yes, that I know. That's why I teamed up with Silver in training."

"I wonder how she did at the Cornucopia…"

"She most likely got some weapons… We agreed on her getting armory while you would find a safe place and I the rest of what we would need."

"Speaking of, do you have another one of these water bottles?" asked Silyah.

"Let me have a look," the girl browsed through one of her backpack, then tossed a bottle to Silyah. "Here it goes."

"Thanks," Silyah caught the bottle, filling it up. "That plastic bag can be used as our reservoir, we would waste less iodine by pouring a large amount of water inside of it and then putting it inside our bottles."

Novia nodded. "Yes, good idea."

"What's the good idea?" Silver came towards them, her blow cane strapped to her back along with a rather big number of weapons. "Hello girls. Seems like you found the Clockwork Angel before I did, Novia."

"Hey, Silver," Silyah waved at the heavily armed girl.

Silver sat down. "I hope this will be enough," she said, laying her weapons on the ground. "I grabbed whatever I could… And annoyed Caskar…" Novia gave the District 6 girl a look. "Oh, come on; it will be no fun if he won't be after me. Anyway, I think that he currently is more interested in our dear Ice Prince."

"He's still alive?" asked Silyah as soon as she heard the nickname.

Silver looked thoughtful. "Last time I saw him, he was." A grin crossed her lips. "Are you worried about your precious Prince, Angel?"

Silyah frowned. "He's not _my precious prince_, just so you know, but why shouldn't I be worried? I've nearly spent every hour of every day with him in the past week or so and he's a nice person."

Silver's grin got even wider. "Yes, very nice," she said. "We'll know about him later on when they will show the fallen," she added, her eyes on Silyah.

The girl tensed. "I wonder who is going to be up there… While I was climbing up here, I saw that you did not do much to protect _your_ fellow tribute, am I right?"

The smile on Silver's lips was now gone. "As a matter of fact, I did," she said, her eyes going down as her hand went to her pocket. "Jehl had asked me to kill him."

Novia blinked. "Asked you?"

Silver nodded. "He knew from the beginning that his chances were small and he wanted me to end it for him… And I did."

Silyah's eyes went huge in disbelief.

"Are you shocked, Angel?" Silver asked her. "His father asked me the same favor when he came to visit me after the Reaping. I did as they requested." She took a small medallion from her pocket, Jehl's probably.

Silyah shook her head and stopped staring at Silver. "I guess that I'm not used to speaking about death so lightly…"

"Guess not, but this is the Hunger Games," shrugged Novia. "It's kill or be killed."

"No, it's win or die. Only one of us will remain at the end. Sad thing to die for, really…" said Silver with a shrug similar to Novia's.

Silyah took a deep breath. "Do you think that we should go in the forest for the night?" she wondered, eyeing the sun, which would eventually slowly make its way down the brilliant blue sky. "We will need to find a place to settle and to build a shelter before the sun sets."

"Yes, I think that we should. Gather as much water as possible first," replied Silver. "And we should also reorganize our things so that each bag of ours hold certain useful items."

Silyah raised her water-filled plastic bag. It was large enough to contain at least ten full bottles of water. "I think that we can last for a little while with that."

Silver nodded. "Yes, we will."

The three tributes organized their supplies quickly. Even though they were practically safe now, none of them were promised to even see the faces of the day's fallen tributes…

"Before you arrived, I walked around this area," Silyah pointed to the sector around the river. "Relatively close by, I saw what I think might be a suspended bridge. It seems to be the only way to go in the forest from here… Hope none of you are afraid of creaky planks of wood."

"Not really, not," said Silver.

Novia made a face betraying her aversion to this way of transportation, but she shrugged. "As long as it holds us."

On that semi-positive note, the girls followed the watercourse, being as silent as possible.

Eventually, they reached the suspended bridge Silyah had seen from afar… Truth to be told, it looked quite pathetic. The planks were growing moss and strange bugs were crawling all over it, not to mention that some of the bugs were actually eating parts of the structure.

"Who wants to go first?" asked Silyah reluctantly, wrinkling her nose at the heap of wood.

"It was your idea," answered Silver, waiting for Silyah to take the first step. "Let's just get over it."

"Okay…" Silyah breathed and mentally recited a three seconds countdown. She grabbed the two ropes on each side of the bridge and placed her foot on the first plank, which loudly complained. She shook it slightly. "Seems secure enough," she told the others.

The small group progressed step-by-step on the long, narrow and slippery bridge. About halfway through, Silyah stopped abruptly.

"Why are you stopping?" asked Silver.

With one quick movement, Silyah ducked, dragging Silver and Novia with her. A shiny arrow suddenly flew by, just where the girl had previously been standing.

"Is that reason good enough?" whispered Silyah. The two other girls looked up quickly, searching for the source of the attack. More arrows went by, but Silyah, Silver and Novia were now out of sight, crawling on the bridge along with the colorful and suspicious bugs.

The girl who had fun teasing and fighting with Caskar was now in a very uncomfortable state. She did not like insects. She tried to shake them off of her, but on the unstable suspended bridge, that was not exactly the safest of practices. As she did so, Novia gasped and Silyah held on to the sides of the bridge with a double strength, really hoping not to fall in the water.

After a really long and frankly disgusting time crawling on the old planks, the three allies finally got to the other side of the river.

As soon as she got up, Silver made it clear that she would refuse to take another step before having thoroughly removed every filthy bug from her curls. She started out by picking out those she could see and then just furiously shook her head to exterminate the rest. "Urg, I hate bugs," she murmured, displeased.

"And yet you are not even afraid of one of the deadliest and stupidest tribute in the Games?" Silyah was incredulous, but she was not really the one to talk; she really hated insects too and was also in the process ridding her hair from them, however, she smirked at the fact that she might have found one of Silver's weaknesses…

"Of course not. Caskar doesn't have six legs, antennae and wings. He is big and dumb; easier to deal with."

"Just when I thought Caskar could not be anymore repulsive, you had to send me this mental image," laughed Novia. "Where do we go now?"

The girls collectively decided to go to the right, away from the arrows that had been shot at them when they had been on the bridge. They walked in the forest, careful, silent and unseen. They went on until the sky turned orange and their stomachs began to growl.

"We can stop here and build a small camp for the night," Silyah kept her voice low as a precaution.

"How do we divide the tasks?" asked Novia.

"I will go try to hunt something down, Novia you can look for berries and plants and Angel; you can make us a cozy shelter," Silver quickly gave everyone different chores.

"Sounds good to me," agreed Silyah.

Novia also nodded, then went off to her duty. Silver picked up a knife, gave Silyah a wink and ran off into the woods.

Silyah raised an eyebrow and undertook that task of tying one of her large bed sheet to nearby trees and roots, making a small tent. She gathered some branches and plants to camouflage the shelter. When she was done with the basic structure, she sat down in it, placing the other bed sheets here and there to make the place somewhat comfortable.

Silyah was putting her hair into a bun, securing it in place with small branches when Novia came back. The District 3 girl peeked out of the tent, inviting the other girl in.

Novia's backpack was filled with various types of plants.

"Do you know if they are safe to eat?" wondered Silyah when Novia stepped into the homemade tent.

"I only took what I could recognize from training," she nodded.

The two girls sorted the plants Novia had gotten and placed them in one of the pillowcases from Silyah's bed sheet set. _Who would need a pillowcase in an arena where there are no pillows? _Briefly wondered the brown-haired girl.

When the sorting was over, Silyah and Novia sat back in the tent, concealed from the rest of the forest. The District 3 girl made a let a small opening in the wall of the shelter in order to see if anyone was to come their way. Through that hole, Silyah and Novia watched the sky darken and waited for Silver as they each ate one of the roots Novia had picked up.

"Where is she?" Novia was starting to be concerned about Silver.

"Don't worry, no canons were fired so she is alive, that's for sure," Silyah reassured her.

Their conversation was broken off by a sound. Silver came through the trees with three freshly trapped rabbits.

Silyah opened her tent's "official entrance" to the District 6 tribute and motioned her to come and join them.

"The girl stepped inside the shelter. "Nicely done, Angel."

"Thanks," Silyah eyed the rabbits, her stomach making a funny noise. "Good catch, Silv."

"Thank you."

"Do we start a fire to cook them?" asked Novia.

"We might have to… Though we should try to limit the smoke."

"I know what could work," said Silyah.

"Oh?" Novia looked at her.

"We can filter some of the smoke with a damp bed sheet." She grabbed one from the small pile she had made. "We can suspend it to low tree branches and build our fire in a hole under it. We can also find some rocks to encircle the flames so that they won't go wild."

"Sounds like a good idea," said the black haired girl from 5.

Silver peeked outside of the tent, spotting a good spot for the fire. The three girls left the tent to go under the darkening sky and got to work on their improvised oven.

Slowly but surely, the team ended up by making a small fire, just big enough to cook their supper.

Halfway through her rabbit, Silver raised her gaze, looking up at the sky. "Looks like they're about to show the fallen," she said.

The anthem of Panem resonated in the whole arena. Silyah watched the sky, clearly worried.

Silver noticed it. "You are thinking of the Ice Prince, aren't you?" she asked as the eagle-shaped seal of the Capitol appeared in the sky.

She would not give Silver the pleasure of admitting it once again, but Artemis had been in Silyah's thoughts during most of the day.

The faces and names of the fallen appeared one by one where shining stars could have previously been seen.

_Lynick Reah, District 5. Jehl Amnel, District 6. Cylan Actraz, District 8. Mareillie Trabrett, District 9. Trinicia Jestov, District 10. Jethro Mellrit, District 10._

"Seems that he was lucky," whispered Silver. "And you're now the only one of us who's District still has both of its tributes. Ours are dead."

Silyah sighed, going back to her supper. Artemis was safe… At least for now…

* * *

_**Today, Febuary 13th is a very special day; my co-author's 20th birthday! So to celebrate it (as well as Valentines day, which will be tomorrow) we will post 3 chapters this week, therefore releasing the 20th chapter (see what I did there). **_

_**Happy birthday, Alva! **_

_**-Mary**_


	20. Chapter Nineteen, Bloody Blades

_**Chapter Nineteen, Bloody Blades**_

The mouth of a cave was almost within Artemis's reach – only a few meters separated the boy from a possible shelter when the anthem of Panem began to play in the whole arena. The teenager halted, looking up into the dark night sky. Some vaguely familiar faces passed one by one over every tribute's heads and then, the anthem came to an end. Artemis let out a sigh of relief followed by a faint groan of pain. He would eventually have to find fresh water somewhere to clean the cut on his collarbone.

Taking a few last steps, Artemis approached the cave, looking in its entrance… No dangers were in sight… The boy picked a small rock from the ground and tossed it in the mouth of the cave; if someone was to be in there, they would most likely make some kind of noise as they would react to the rock… However, the only sound Artemis heard was the stone falling back upon the ground.

Slowly, he stepped in the cave, paying attention to everything that could be a possible threat. Seeing nothing too deadly in his field of view, Artemis ventured even farther. He kept on walking until the pain in his shoulder made him stop.

He leaned against a wall of rock and replaced the moss he had used as a bandage. As he paused, he took the time to look at the settings around him, his jaw nearly dropping in amazement. As it turned out, the cave he had begun to explore was not a simple cavern; it was a mine. The young man turned around, carefully studying the composition of the rocks surrounding him. Huge chunks of rosy and of yellow-colored metals shined through the wall; copper and gold, for sure… Other parts of the rocky façade seemed to glow in a wide variety of colors… Artemis grunted. Opals.

Smirking, he scratched the wall of the mine with his knife and extracted a piece of gold from it. _Old habits die hard,_ as they say. He tucked the gold in one of his pant's pocket and went on. He could hear that a water source was close by.

Artemis followed the sound longer into the mines and was eventually led to a pond filled with seemingly clear water.

The boy kneeled, taking off the moss that covered his wound. He opened up his jacket, gaining a better access to the swollen red cut. Artemis then filled up his water bottle, filtering the liquid in the pond by using the bottom of his shirt. Leaning back as he separated the two sides of his cut, the male representative of District 3 raised the bottle and gritted his teeth as he poured the water over his red flesh. The liquid was warm and probably not the cleanest, but using it was better than leaving his wound untreated.

The boy leaned his head back against the cave's wall, his eyes slowly closing as he concentrated on his breathing. Out of his numerous adventures, not one had ever been like this. Perhaps it was because he was on his own now… He only had his own set of skills to depend on. No Butler, no Foaly and no Holly. Artemis let a weak sigh find its way out of his lips. At least he could praise himself for the fact that he was not dead yet.

The boy then opened his eyes, the supplies he had gotten from the Cornucopia now catching his attention… The sleeping bag he had grabbed seemed to be particularly bulky in its silky envelope… Curiosity getting the best of him, Artemis opened the bag only to be pleasantly surprised. Not only had he found a sleeping bag, but it also seemed that he had fallen on a bonus lot; one folded backpack. He took the time to look inside of it, evaluating the resources that were now available to him. He had a backpack, a knife, a water bottle, a sleeping bag, one clean shirt and a wound in the shoulder. That was it for now. Of course, he could have done perfectly fine without the wound, but it had been a package deal: no injury, no knife… Though Artemis was not particularly sure about his ability to wield a knife, he still thought that having one was better than being weaponless.

With another sigh, the raven-haired teenager emptied his water bottle and filled it back up, once again filtering the water with the bottom of his shirt. Reluctantly, he drank some of it in order not to be the victim of dehydration and decided to keep the rest for the next morning. Then, he changed into the clean shirt and found a corner of the cave that would conceal him during the entire night. Laying down his sleeping bag on the ground, Artemis grabbed his backpack, set it under his head as a pillow and tried to drift into sleep.

* * *

Caskar dug into his pockets, pulling out his three daggers. He placed two of them in his backpack, smiling as he observed the reflection of the moon in the third one.

The fallen had just appeared in the sky and he had been proud to have the blood of two of them on his precious blade. He loved to see the blood-red glow that still remained on that specific dagger.

"Well done guys," he said as he tucked himself in his sleeping bag. "End of day one and our alliance made four kills out of six…" He only told them this compliment because he had to keep the group confident. In fact, he was still bitter about the fact that Acassie had let Artemis escape their grip.

On the other side of the small Career camp, Geneva was spinning her axe between her fingers, a bit annoyed that it did not have two blades. Just like on Caskar's knife, dry blood marks had tinted the polished silver metal of her weapon.

The feline girl sat beside Kalheb, leaning against his broad shoulder. The young man turned towards her and kissed her shamelessly. "Proud of your kill, honey?" he asked her in his usual seductive tone as soon as she had paused to catch her breath.

"I can't say I'm not… But it was an easy game, really," she replied. "I saw yours, by the way," she added, looking at him, a certain deviousness in her eyes. "I like brutal men."

"Oh really?" He captured her in his arms and kissed her again, this time more fiercely.

Caskar cleared his throat. "Unless you want to kill each other by perforating your stomachs with your tongues, would you please go elsewhere in the woods to do this?" he spat, wondering if he should be disgusted by their show.

The small redhead sitting by the Career's campfire chuckled, the fiery red flame only adding to the color of her hair. "So, will you take up the hunt for the Ice Prince tomorrow?" asked Acassie to the leader of their group in order to add some pertinence to the conversation and hopefully get the two "lovebirds" out of each other's mouths.

"Yeah, we can either go for him or Silver," said Caskar. "Depending on which one we encounter first, I guess."

"Silver killed two people in a row, Caskar, with nothing but a blow cane and a few darts, if I may add," Geneva pointed out. "She's no joke, just so you know."

Caskar resisted the urge to throw her the dagger he had decided to sleep close by. "I know that she is no joke, but what do you think I am?"

"Oh, I know what you are, but she killed the guy from _her own _District," Geneva rolled her eyes. "If you go fight her, you might just find your match."

The boy from District 1 snorted. "I could take her down anytime."

"Don't get a swollen head," intervened Crelin. "If you get too sure of yourself, it'll be your downfall. Everyone knows that."

"I think we should find Fowl first. He would be like… practice for stronger opponents," suggested Elon.

"Yes… He would be just like a breathing training target," nodded Crelin.

"Whatever," said Caskar. "As I said, the first person we find, we kill… Kalheb? Geneva? Since you two are pretty busy and won't risk falling asleep anytime soon, you'll take the first guard shift. Wake two people up when you'll be tired." The boy from one was really starting to enjoy barking orders.

The feline girl nodded. She would certainly not mind staying up alone with Kalheb.

"Hope no one will be too dead tomorrow," added Caskar without much conviction before yanking his sleeping bag above his ears.

"You mean, no one of us, right?" laughed Kalheb. "Because if you want my opinion, the other tributes can die all they want tonight."

Caskar shrugged and grunted, which was his tired way of demonstrating his agreement.

* * *

Dawn was nearing when Quartz Dahlai, the tribute from District 12, woke up. She shook her ally's shoulder. "Thea," she whispered.

The District 8 girl opened her dark blue eyes, tossing away a short lock of ginger hair from them. "Morning already?"

"No, it's still night, but I have a bad feeling… I think that we should move somewhere else to stay safe… We should also start making provisions for the day." Quartz stretched and reached for Thea's backpack.

"Good idea," nodded the girl, yawning. "You got quite a few useful things back in the meadow, didn't you?" she then asked.

"No, Peeta told me not to stop at the Cornucopia and get water instead."

Thea gave her a look. "Well, the more we have the better, right?"

"Okay," said Thea reluctantly. "Well, I might have picked up a thing or two…"

"Like?"

Quartz searched in her pant's pockets. She took out two small Swiss knives, a big box of waterproof matches, a small bottle of iodine and five snack bars. Thea watched her silently. The girl from 12 laid her supplies on the ground. "Did _you _get anything useful?"

"Just weapons."

"Can we sort everything we have and then go for a hunt?"

"Yes, sounds good." Thea leaned over Quartz's shoulder.

"What do you think we will need for today? We can put all the useful stuff in the front pockets of your bag; the less important supplies can go in the other pockets…" said the blond girl, emptying Thea's bag.

"You mean; what will _I_ need for today, don't you?" Thea's voice came from behind her, just beside her ear.

Quartz turned around, slightly confused. "You don't want to go hunt alone, right? That would be really dangerous."

Thea smiled. "So blondes really are dumb, aren't they?"

"Why would you say that?" Quartz took one of her blond locks between her fingers. "It's not something you want to say to your only ally in this arena, _ginger_."

"I don't have any ally," grinned Thea. "I used to, but she called me _ginger_ and tried to keep her material all for herself."

Quartz was just about to apologize when she felt something cold between her shoulder blades.

"Now… How should I do this?" Thea was speaking to herself. "Slowly and painfully, or quickly and painfully?" She trailed the end of the knife up the girl's spine.

Quartz tried to fight back, but she was paralyzed by terror. A high-pitched scream escaped the bottom of her throat through her trembling lips.

"Scream all you like, 12," hissed Thea. "I can silence you whenever I want."

The young tribute with pale golden locks gasped for air. Why would Thea do that to her? They had been good friends in training!

A cannon blasted in Thea's ears. Somehow, it had been less noisy than Quartz's scream… The girl from 8 got to her feet, taking in her doing. Not bad; a clean cut over the neck artery. "Sorry, 12; only one winner," she said to the corpse.

Thea threw everything Quartz had possessed into her bag, leaving the girl's body for a hovercraft to pick up.


	21. Chapter Twenty, Decreasing Disadvantages

_**Chapter Twenty, Decreasing Disadvantages**_

Silyah bolted right up from her sleep when she heard a loud cannon.

"That was early," commented Silver calmly.

"I guess so…" Silyah squinted her eyes in an attempt to clear the sleep from them. "But I don't what is worst; waking up to a cannon, or to Effie Trinket." She laughed away the nervousness caused by the announcement of a tribute's death before adding: "Just kidding, we love you, Effie," just in case they were currently televised.

Silver grinned. "I wonder who it was," she said more seriously. Silyah felt her throat tighten. She wondered if Silver knew that she was messing with her head by making her think about Artemis. "With Caskar on the hunt and all…"

"We have to go…" mumbled Silyah, truly worried.

"The cannon went off, whoever it was is dead and most likely already picked up by the hovercraft."

"Yes, I know that and I certainly do not want to be the next one being picked up… I think we should keep on moving and that as soon as possible."

"Fine. Wake up Novia and I'll check the area."

Silyah nodded as Silver left. She stretched and combed her long hair with her fingers as she went towards the District 5 girl. "Novia?" she said, trying to be loud enough to wake her up, yet quiet enough not to attract any unwanted attention.

The small black-haired girl moved around and slowly opened her eyes.

"We have to get moving." The District 3 girl was already starting to fold the blanket she had slept on.

"Why?" Novia propped herself up on her elbows.

"Didn't you hear the cannon? Some deadly people already woke up, so I would not risk staying in one place…"

"I didn't hear anything… I sleep really deeply…" Novia got up, running a hand through her short hair. "Where is Silver?"

"She went to look through the forest."

"I see." Novia rolled up her "bed," handing it to Silyah.

The brown-haired girl placed the folded blankets in her coat's back pocket. "Do you feel alert enough to help me take down the tent?"

"Sure," Novia stretched, following Silyah as she went outside. A light yet chilly wind blew between the forest's trees and straight into the tributes' bones.

As the two girls got to work, Silver returned. "There's no one around us, at least as far as a ten meters radius."

Silyah's eyes grew wide. "Ten meters? You just covered a ten meters radius and you are not even a little out of breath?"

Silver shrugged. "I am used to chase after kids who just love to run from us, amongst other things."

Silyah sighed. She wished she could have the ability to run like that… The girl untied the last knot of the tent from a branch and shook that dark fabric free of leaves and insects. She folded and placed it with the other blankets.

"So, where do we head?" asked Novia. "Since we don't really know where the others are…"

Silyah undid their filter from above the extinguished remains of their fire. "Where did you get those rabbits yesterday?" she asked Silver.

"Not far from here, they seem to live in the area."

"Let's stay close by, but constantly in movement," suggested Silyah.

"Good idea," agreed Silver. "That way we can get familiar with the area while moving from place to place."

"We could also make some misleading foot trails," said Novia.

Silver nodded. Smart people these two…

The girls filled their water bottles up, ate a light breakfast made of the roots Novia had picked up the previous day and then left their camp.

* * *

Artemis woke up from his less than pleasant sleep, the sharp noise of a cannon ringing in his ears… Or perhaps it was the echo that could be heard from within the cave's walls.

The boy sat up and leaned away from the rocky wall, his back aching. This had been the worst night in his life and by far; he had been waking up every third hour or so because of his wound.

Letting his eyes adjust to the cave's dim light, he looked around. He was still more than alone…

Artemis slowly got to his feet. The slightest of movements shot tendrils of pain through his body, all of them heading towards his partially healed shoulder.

The slim teenager sighed, his stomach starting to rumble. He would need to find food fast. He would soon be way too feeble for his own good without nutrition. Although he despised the idea of being exposed in the arena, Artemis was left with no choice but to make his way out of the cave and was forced to bring nothing but his knife with him; he could not even support the feeling of his backpack`s strap on his collar bone.

He was not too far from his hideout and not too deep into the forest when he spotted what looked like a bird's nest in the branch of a tree. Artemis gritted his teeth. There was a possibility of finding a source of food in that nest, but even though it was not too high, he would have to climb to reach it. Even if his shoulder had been in a normal state, it would have been as good as an impossible task. He had climbed before in the arena, but a tree was different from a cliff; it was much more arduous.

Artemis observed his surroundings in the hopes to find an alternative solution… Some broken branches were lying on the ground… Artemis contemplated them for a brief moment. They would be long enough to reach the nest… The only minor problem would be that he would have to raise both of his arms in order not to let the nest fall over his head, most likely shattering its possible content.

A low and long rumble coming from his stomach interrupted Artemis's thoughts. He would have to do it.

The teenager grabbed the two branches, placing one in each of his hands. He took a deep breath and walked over to the tree, extending his arms above his head. As hard as he may have tried to approach the situation without forcing too much, is shoulder did hurt him… Artemis had to clench his teeth together to hold back a pained grunt.

Eventually, he managed to lock the nest between the two branches. He lowered them very carefully. A satisfied smirk played across his lips for a short instant. At the bottom of the nest were four small eggs.

Artemis took the nest and let go of the branches, heading back towards the cave where he planned to try to make a fire to cook himself a breakfast without being noticed.

He had almost reached his shelter when a faint beeping noise began to hover above his head. He looked up, searching for the source of the foreign sound.

A small silver parachute was lazily making its way down the sky… Artemis waited a few seconds for it to get within reach and caught it between his slim fingers. On a small card attached to the box that came with the parachute was a note…

"_Clever boy_," it read. The note was signed by none other than Artemis's mentor; Beetee.

Artemis took both his future breakfast, as well as the parachute back to the cave before investigating the content of his sponsor-sent silver box. It was an object with roughly the same shape and size as a long wallet. The boy undid the fastener at the side of the object, revealing a set of tools.

Part of a survival plan formed in Artemis's brain. Now, he actually had some type of advantage in those Games…

Artemis walked back to the area in which he had slept and began to work on making a small fireplace beside the pond using small rocks he found on the ground. He set the bird nest in the middle of it, removing the eggs from their only mean of protection. The nest would serve the purpose of tinder while one of the tools he had received had been labeled as a spindle.

Not losing a second, Artemis got to work, desperately trying to make a spark. If only he had listened to Butler more often… Things would have been easier at this stage.

He kept on working until he created a small flame. He then took a flat rock from the cave and cracked the eggs open on it. It was not the gourmet omelets he was used to, but it was better than to start the day with an empty stomach.

* * *

"Which way do you want to go?" Elon asked Caskar.

The alliance's day had begun later than most of the other tribute's day. Half of them had not even heard the first cannon.

The District 1 boy took another snack bar from his bag; he had plenty, he could certainly afford eating an extra one. "Acassie? Where did Artemis go when you _let him escape_?" Caskar turned to the short redhead.

"He headed for the caves, I think," she replied. "We can go back down to the Cornucopia or try to find them from where we are right now if you want to get to him."

"Which one would take less –" began Crelin before being interrupted.

"Let's go from here," said Caskar. "We'll follow the sound of the waterfalls and find him."

"Aye, aye, leader," laughed Geneva.

Caskar dragged his group through the woods and led them close to the river. They paused to fill and filter their water bottles and then walked along the banks of the big stream, not even caring about hiding or being subtle.

At one point, the group saw a few wild animals and decided to go hunt. They had snack bars, but there was nothing like meat to satisfy their hunger.

Once he was done, Caskar cleaned up the knife he had chosen as his hunting knife. He had caught two rabbits and a big squirrel.

"What will we do of what we don't eat today? It might be spoiled by tomorrow…" Kalheb held a chubby rabbit in his hands as he walked to Caskar.

"We'll burn it," answer the District 1 boy. "We won't give the other tributes the chance to fall on some free food."

"Nice kill, Kalheb," said Geneva as she got back from the woods, carrying three freshly trapped squirrels.

"Thanks, honey," replied Kalheb with a seductive tone. Both he and Geneva knew that there was no affection between them – only physical attraction – and they were both perfectly fine with it.

For once, Caskar was satisfied with his team. They were ridding the area of wildlife and keeping it for themselves. _The laws of survival, _thought the boy.

The Careers cleaned and prepared their kills before putting them in plastic bags obtained at the Cornucopia to keep them for later.

Even though they all stuck with one another for the only purpose of killing the others more easily and surviving longer, they had chosen to remain in the forest since they were now extremely close to the waterfalls and the current of the river was starting to get relatively strong. They would not want to lose a member to a mere accident just yet.

At one point through their progression, Caskar stopped abruptly in the middle of his trail.

"What again?" nearly screamed Elon. It had been the tenth time the District 1 boy halted without an apparent cause.

"I saw something move." Caskar squinted. He was sure that this time, something – a human – was close to them.

"We are in the woods Caskar! Of course some things will move around! We did not kill every single animal here," sighed Kalheb.

Geneva looked in the same direction as Caskar, a concentrated expression on her face. "I heard it."

Caskar turned to Kalheb and Elon. "See, I'm not that crazy," he whispered.

Geneva grinned. "Come on then!"

The Careers followed Caskar and Geneva, keeping a reasonable distance from them.

The boy from 1 pulled out his "killing dagger" from his bag. Now, Caskar could make out the shape of what, or rather, whom he was hunting. The figure had dark hair and a slim body…

Geneva smiled. "Look at that…"

The boy hoped that the person was chasing was the one he had been searching for… As if to make sure that the figure would not disappear, he launched forward, running straight towards it.

The tribute had heard Caskar's footsteps and all the sudden, vanished in the forest.

Caskar ran even more furiously, looking through the shadows of the trees around him in order to locate the tribute before an idea struck him… He decided to stop; his ears might be able to find the kid better than his eyes. Caskar smirked. He could indeed hear someone panting to his left. He turned towards the sound… There, just beside him, a small bush seemed to tremble. The tall boy walked beside it, just to give the tribute a little hope… He surrounded the bush, the biggest of the grins on his face. When he heard a muffled sob, he dived in, pulling the tribute by the hair.

Caskar clenched his fist in rage. That was not the boy he had expected to see. In fact, it was a young, dark-skinned girl, probably the one from District 11.

The tall boy from 1 tossed the girl into a tree and plunged his dagger into her heart.

Geneva grinned. _One less tribute, _she thought.

A cannon rang just as Delise Novo's body hit the ground.

"Let's get moving," said Crelin, walking towards the new Hunger Games victim.

For once, Caskar agreed.


	22. Chapter Twenty-One, Accidents

_**Chapter Twenty-One, Accidents**_

Scpenser Ross, the tribute from 12, wiped a film of sweat on his brow. In front of him was the mouth of a cave. He estimated that he was on the right side of the big mountain he had seen from the Cornucopia.

A cannon blasted in the air, making his heart jump. Without really thinking, he ran inside of the cave.

_That was somewhat coward,_ he thought, rolling his eyes. He really hoped that no cameras were on him during the last minute.

Nevertheless, he ventured into the cave, intrigued by his new discovery. The precious metals paving the walls around him had indicated the District 12 boy that he was in a mine. Scpenser smiled, he knew mines very well.

With each step he took the boy felt the comforting weigh of the hammer pick he had secured on his belt. As he progressed, he dodged stalactites coming from above him and avoided the stalagmites on the ground.

Scpenser walked for what seemed like a very long distance before hearing the faint sounds of water dripping as an echo against the cave's walls. The source would be perfect to quench the District 12 tribute's thirst. He hurried his pace and reached a small pond.

"I would not touch the water if I were you," a cold voice came from behind Scpenser… A voice who's owner might make a really good use of a strong ally.

The strong boy's hands locked around his hammer pick. He scanned the room with the corner of his eyes, raising his hammer in the air. He spun around, ready to get rid of any threat. Quickly, Scpenser aimed to his left, only missing his opponent by a mere centimeter.

The slim raven-haired boy who had been living in the cave since the beginning of the Games backed off, nearly tripping on a rock.

It was too dark in the cave for Scpenser to see the face of the other tribute. "Who's there?" Scpenser punctuated each word he spoke in the hopes of sounding menacing as he tried once again to attack his opponent.

The frail boy ran backwards as the stronger one did all he could to hit him with his mining hammer. The raven-haired teenager tried to keep his distance from Scpenser as best he could.

At one point, the massive District 12 boy slowed down. He blinked a few times and through the small amount of light escaping a second cave entrance, he got to see the face of the tribute he had been after. He dropped his hammer. "Art?"

Artemis held his tongue despite his aversion for his new nickname, judging that correcting the huge District 12 teen might not be the best idea.

"How did you end up like that?" Scpenser asked him, pointing to his shoulder.

"The girl from 7 threw a knife at me."

Scpenser observed Artemis. Should he get rid of him right away? The boy was weighing the pros and cons of killing Artemis when something tickled his mind. "Why did you stop me from drinking the water?"

"Well, I thought you might not exactly want to die of electrocution…"

"What did you do, 3?" wondered Scpenser, specifically referring to Artemis by his District.

"I made an… Electro-net," replied the pale boy, naming his new invention on the spot.

"And how is one supposed to get water now?" Scpenser did not even bother asking what was an "electro-net," he already knew that he would not understand a thing to it.

"For as long as I will be working on this prototype, either outside, or elsewhere in the caves."

Scpenser nodded. He would not kill Artemis, not now… He looked at the boy's shoulder and reached in his coat's front pocket. He took out a small first aid kit. "Team up?"

Artemis was left with no choice but to agree.

The other boy set his hammer on the ground and gave his first aid kit to Artemis. "Feel free to look through it. I don't know much about knife wounds, but you might be able to find something useful in there."

"Thank you…" grumbled Artemis, those words not used to escape his mouth.

"In the meantime, do you happen to be you hungry?"

"Do you have anything?"

"I can clean some fish I caught this morning," replied Scpenser. "I would need water though."

"I have a small reserve in a bottle," indicated Artemis, pointing his thumb towards where he had established his camp.

_This is going to be a profitable alliance,_ thought the boy from the Seam as he followed the raven-haired one.

Once they arrived near the pond, Artemis gave Scpenser his bottle and had a quick look through the first aid kit in which were indeed some usable items.

While one of the boys wrapped gauze around his almost healed wound, the other one was busy with his fish, cleaning and cutting them into filets.

Scpenser cocked his head, looking at the cut up fish in front of him. "Art? Do you have anything on which we could cook our food?"

"Yes, I do." The boy walked over to his electro-net prototype, taking a small device composed of a small box-like thing and two separate wires. Of course, he had made it using some of the components he had found in his tool kit. "Hand me a flat stone," he requested.

Scpenser stared at the boy in confusion and then shook his head, recalling that Artemis was from 3 and therefore was most likely extremely good at inventing electric devices. He searched the cave with his gaze, finding a stone close by and handing it to the pale boy.

Artemis somehow connected the flat rock to the device, the copper in it conducting a current through the system.

Scpenser took one part of his fish and gave it to the raven-haired boy who took it and laid it down on the rock. Slowly, the smell of frying fish emanated from the makeshift cooking surface.

"Now, that's what I call handy," whispered Scpenser in amazement.

Artemis gave him a faint smirk.

The two new allies cooked the rest of the fish and ate.

"Not bad at all," commented Scpenser, his mouth full. "Only thing missing is water… I used it all to clean those," he then said, pointing to the left over fish.

"True…" Now that Scpenser had mentioned it, Artemis was really thirsty…

Therefore, the new team ventured out of the caves. Artemis guided Scpenser through the path he had taken when he had walked to his shelter, just to the left of the arena's main mountain. The raven-haired boy's blood still tinted some parts of the ground…

"I wonder who left this behind." Scpenser contemplated a rust-colored rock.

Artemis looked over the District 12 boy's shoulder. "I did…"

Scpenser frowned, his own shoulder nearly hurting in sympathy.

"Well, I did get a knife," said Artemis, trying to sound careless.

"I guess that's a… good thing." Scpenser ended his sentence like a question.

"I could do without the pain," admitted Artemis as the two tributes walked towards a river.

"Do you have your bottle and the first aid kit?"

"Yes, I do." Artemis gave the tall District 12 boy the two items he had asked for.

Scpenser took Artemis's bottle and the first aid kit and then headed towards the edge of the river. When he came back, their two bottles were filled with fresh and clean H2O, thanks to the iodine from the first aid kit. He tossed Artemis's gourd to him. "Do you want to go back to your camp?"

"Yes," nodded Artemis. Even if he had a strong ally to rely on in case he ever encountered any deadly situations, he found it more comforting to remain hidden.

* * *

"How did you come up with the idea of a net?" wondered Scpenser as he worked on extracting copper from the walls of the mine. Artemis had requested him to do so, for the pale boy needed a greater amount of conductive material to finish and polish up his net prototype.

_The buzz batons used by the Lower Element Police inspired the net, _thought Artemis. "I remembered something I had seen in my District," he answered. "And I am hoping this tool will provide me both a weapon and a mean of protection."

"I see…" said Scpenser, still wondering how Artemis had made the net. The District 12 boy gave Artemis a big clump of copper. "Is that enough?"

"Yes it will suffice."

Artemis kept on working, Scpenser bent over his shoulder observing him.

"So… Where's your girl?" asked Scpenser with a small grin after a good ten minutes of being silent.

Artemis turned his stare towards the tall boy. "I beg you pardon?"

"Silyah? I thought you would have teamed up with her."

"Oh…" Artemis furrowed his brows. "No, we never intended to be a team during the Games. As for your previous question, I am unaware of her whereabouts." At this moment, it even occurred to Artemis that one of the day's cannons could have been for her… Somehow, it was not an exactly pleasing idea. Artemis brushed it off quickly

"I see…"

Once the electro-net prototype ready, the two hungry boys left the mines. Scpenser had had the intention of trying to teach Artemis how to hunt, which he desperately attempted to do with no fast-coming results. Scpenser had to admit, Artemis was smart and had perfected the art of being quiet and patient, however, that was all the skills he had when it came to basic survival techniques.

"If you don't mind, I'll find something to eat while you stay here in silence."

Artemis nodded slowly. When the District 12 boy came back, he had a chubby rabbit in his hands.

"That's not bad," commented Artemis.

"It's fat enough, so we will have a nice meal." Scpenser was pleased with his prey. In his District, it was not rare that he would have to skip a meal, but since he landed in the arena, he always managed to find food.

The two boys were heading back to their camp when they heard a jarring cannon.

"Guess we'll be safer in the mines," muttered Scpenser.

"Indeed," agreed Artemis.

As they got closer to their shelter, a strange smell rose in the air and it kept on getting stronger as the two young men got closer to the caves.

"That's so disgusting," Scpenser wrinkled his nose. "Do you think it's a Gamemaker's trap?"

"It could be… But I highly doubt it…"

Scpenser stepped in the cave, his facial expression clearly stating what his words expressed even before they left his lips. "It's in there, that's for sure." He began to breathe through his mouth to avoid the stench.

Artemis made a grimace, trying not to inhale too often.

When they reached the water source, even the tall and strong Scpenser had to struggle really hard not to gag. The boy swore. "The good news is that your electro-net is effective," he said, looking away from the fried body of a tribute in the water.

Artemis covered his nose with his coat's collar, both not to scream or to vomit.

"Let's get her out of here." Scpenser walked to the water and took the small blond girl in his arms quickly after Artemis deactivated his net. The District 12 boy left the pond area and placed the young woman at the mouth of the cave, where it was not too long before a hovercraft picked her up. "Do you mind if we relocate ourselves? There must be other galleries in this mine," requested Scpenser as he got back to Artemis. He was well aware that the Hunger Games were revolving around deaths, but the idea of living where someone met their end made his spine shiver.

"It sounds like an excellent idea…"

The two allies grabbed their belongings and explored the caves until they found an area where they could not smell the deadly perfume of their accidental murder.

"You know… Technically, we killed her…" murmured Artemis as he set his backpack down in his new living space.

Scpenser nodded slowly and gave Artemis a piece of rabbit to cook. "I'm not so hungry anymore… But we better have something in our stomachs."

The other boy took the meat and with the help of his retrieved invention, began to prepare it.

The two of them spent the rest of the night in silence, not too sure about what to think of the District 4 girl's end.

* * *

Silyah had to face it, she would never get used to cannons. Her heart would start jumping in her chest every single time one went off.

Silver, however, did not seem to be troubled with them.

"How do you do not to flinch?" Silyah asked the District 6 girl.

Silver shrugged. "It's the Hunger Games."

"Okay, maybe that death does not affect you, but just the loud noise a cannon makes is enough to surprise someone, right?"

"Maybe, but what good would it do for me to flinch every time I heard one? It's something that will happen over and over until the end, after all… Twenty-three times to be exact."

"Supper is ready girls," called Novia from the small fire.

Silver came over to her. "How many cannons were there today anyway?"

"Three," Silyah did not even take a second to answer.

"That makes fifteen of us left…"

The three girls each took one part of the squirrel Novia had cooked.

"Three more deaths and we will officially be in the remaining half," cheered Novia just before counting each member of their group, realizing that they were _three._

"Yes, maybe the odds can be in our favor in this hell after all," murmured Silver.

"Strange way of being optimistic, but I have to agree," replied Silyah, toying with the sides of her boots as she ate her meal.

Silver sighed. "Well, what else do we have to do here? You can surrender and be killed or you can have hope, fight and live… I know which one I am aiming for…"

Silyah grinned. "Check this out, you are going to love that, Silv." In the past hours, Silyah had been working on a weapon prototype using two small Swiss knives Silver had given her from her extensive collection of weapons. She had stitched them on her boots using small squares of fabric from one bed sheet and a needle from her first aid kit, making her shoes into knife dispensers. Silyah pressed on the side of one of her boots and a blade came out of it.

"That is handy," said Silver, grinning. "You can appear unarmed and surprise the opponents… Clever."

"Thanks. I just had to have _some_ advantages in this game considering my inability to perform any physical activities without having to take one half-a-day break," she laughed.

"Good… I wonder what the Ice Prince will do to always be two steps ahead."

Silyah was starting to get annoyed with the feeling of worry she got every time Silver mentioned _the Ice Prince, _especially since she always did when Silyah had managed to get him off of her mind. "I wonder too…"

"Well, if he was one of the three today, we will know what he is up as soon as the night comes, but for some weird reason, I hope he is alive."

"Oh really?" Silyah raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, since he did seem nice… And since you _like _him."

"Stop embarrassing her," giggled Novia. "She still denies it."

"Yes, I know and she will keep on doing so until he lies dying at her feet." This time, Silver was not teasing the District 3 girl, but she had no idea of the impact of her statement; of how much Silyah's nightmare was still haunting her.

Suddenly, the girl from 3 felt like shivering… At first she thought the sensation was just in her head, but in fact, the wind in the arena was getting colder. "I have a feeling something nasty is about to happen…" Silyah wrapped one blanket around her shoulders.

Novia nodded. "I don't think that it is for now though… Three deaths in a day sounds like a good day for television in my opinion." She pulled out another squirrel from her provision bag. "Anyone wants a second portion?"

"Sure. We'll have to eat these before they get spoiled." Adding a few sticks of wood in their fire, Silyah helped Novia to prepare the second squirrel.

Novia looked in the distance, where a thin veil of smoke was being blown towards them by the wind. "Looks like some people don't have the means to cover up their fires," she whispered, gently tossing a piece of cooked meat to Silver.

"It must be that _wannabe_ Caskar and his merry band of half-wits," said Silver bitterly.

"Merry band of half-wits?" repeated Silyah, laughing. "I like that description."

The other girls laughed along. "Thank you," bowed Silver. "I will be here until I die," she said as if she were a street performer.

When she was done with her second squirrel portion, Silyah got up and unfolded the bed sheet she had used as a tent the previous day. "Better start getting ready for the night before it gets too dark."

"Excellent idea," nodded Silver.

The two other girls finished up their supper, had a sip of water and then started knotting the blanket to low tree branches, recreating their tent. It took more time that night than the one before due to the furious wind, but they eventually managed to have a camouflaged shelter.

Silver sighed and sat back, sharpening one of her blow darts on a flat rock.

Silyah leaned against a tree, side by side with Novia. She rubbed her hands together in front of the fire. This would be a really cold night.

The arena's now dark sky lit up with the Capitol's seal. The anthem replaced the sounds of water flowing and blowing wind, then the faces of the Fallen appeared one by one.

Silver's blue eyes scrutinized each face and name glowing in the sky.

_Aquilna Pearl, District 4. __Delise Novo, District 11. Quartz Dahlai, District 12._

"Just girls…" contemplated Silver.

"I'm not too sure if that's a good thing," whispered Novia.

"Maybe not," Silver frowned. "I'd like to know who killed them and how."

"That would be horrific, yet very useful," nodded Silyah. She let herself relax for a few seconds; now, she knew who was safe.

"You're glad the Ice Prince wasn't among those three, aren't you?"

"Maybe," she replied. Once again, a part of her had hoped that Artemis would be dead so that the possibility of having to kill him would be rendered as non-existent, but another part wanted to see him again.

Silver grinned. "Well, better go to sleep…"

Novia extinguished the fire and the girls got in their tent. "Hope we'll all still be alive to see tomorrow," she sighed as she wished goodnight to her allies.


	23. Chapter Twenty-Two, Parting Ways

_**Chapter Twenty-Two, Parting Ways**_

Moss Alsevre sneaked out from behind the tree he had been hiding nearby since the Fallen had appeared in the sky. He had waited until dusk to make sure that all of the other tributes would be asleep before building a shelter in which to spend the night. That was exactly what he had done during the previous day and it had worked perfectly fine…

The boy took out his axe from his backpack. He had received it from his District – District 7, lumber – when he had first executed his "night shelter plan." He mentally thanked his mentor, Johanna Mason and began to cut the trunk of a tree, which he would then use to build a place to sleep in unnoticed.

Somehow, the boy had managed to stay away from every other tribute ever since he had gotten out of the Cornucopia's meadow. Even though he considered himself quite powerful, the thirteen year old's main plan was to avoid confrontation and let the others kill themselves off. Up to date, that technique had also worked out just fine.

The District 7 tribute kept on hitting the tree with his axe's shinning blade, satisfied with how easy it made his job. He hoped that if he ever got out of the arena, he would get to keep the axe; it was by far the most prestigious one he ever had.

About half of the trunk was severed when Moss decided to take a break. He wiped a film of sweat from his forehead, dropped heavy axe and stretched. He tried to ignore the low rumbling which kept on reminding him of how hungry he was. He grunted. His stomach was being way too noisy for the quiet night. The young man took a few seconds to look around in case he could spot a small animal or an edible plant close by. He adjusted his glasses over his nose. He could not see much in the darkness. With a sigh, Moss got back to cutting his tree.

Thea had been traveling in the dark – the safest way to wander in the arena according to her – when she noticed Moss. As soon as she saw him turn around, she froze. The boy scanned the horizon and the District 8 girl tensed. He would notice her, for sure… But no… The short boy picked up an axe from the ground and got back to hitting a tree with it. Thea took a dagger from her belt, slowly making her way towards the tribute. Concentrated on his task, Moss never noticed that someone was now behind him… The girl took a few steps closer, like a panther hunting. Thea was just behind the District 7 boy when she swiftly moved her hand, bringing it to the young man's throat. A quick laceration was all she required.

The young woman heard a cannon, but unfortunately for her, that deep noise marking her as a murderer was the last thing that she got to hear…

Every tributes nearby had the opportunity to notice the earth shaking and the loud bang the tree made when it fell right on Thea, breaking her spine, flattening her against the cold ground.

In this whole chaos, a second cannon rang. Thirteen tributes now remained.

* * *

Silyah, Silver and Novia had started to move as soon as they were all up. They did not have the best of the nights with the "earthquake" and the cold. At one point in the middle of the night, it had even started to snow.

Shaking the snow from her brown locks, Silyah dug her hands in her coat's pockets. The three girls had been walking for at least two hours now, yet despite the physical activity, the District 3 girl's hands were freezing.

Novia searched through her bag, trying to fish her coat's warm layer out of it. "Should we stop and make a small fire?" she wondered. By the way Silyah's long hair blew in every direction around her face, the girls all agreed on the fact that making a fire was too risky for their own safety.

However, they did decide to pause to gather some food before snow could freeze every source of nutrients the arena had to offer. They therefore split up and collected every edible plants they could find.

When Silver got back to the rest of her group, a small grin was beginning to spread on her face. "I think I found the Careers…" she said.

Novia looked at her in disbelief. "Have you seen them?"

"No, I heard them… Want to go say hi?" she suggested, glad to have an excuse to go fight with someone. With luck, she could perhaps find Caskar… "Come on, this will be fun!" she started to head back to where she had heard the Careers, eyeing her two allies.

Novia bit her lower lip. "All right…" she mumbled, taking long and slow steps towards Silver. "Are you coming?" the District 5 girl asked Silyah, glancing towards her. The District 3 girl's feet seemed to be locked on the ground and she was fidgeting with the bracelet around her wrist.

After inhaling deeply, Silyah shook her head. "I… I'm sorry… I can't."

"Clockwork Angel?" Silver turned to the brunette girl, who was still shaking her head from left to right.

"I can't risk it… You can go and fight them, but I'm not a fighter; I would die right away." Truth to be told, she was terrified of falling on another tribute.

"Do you want us to –" began Novia.

"No, don't restrain yourselves for me; if you want to go, you are completely free to do so. We can get back together after you girls get rid of the nasty Careers." Silyah smiled.

"Okay then… Stay safe, Angel," Silver saluted Silyah.

"Likewise, Weapon Girl," laughed the District 3 tribute. "Good luck," she replied more seriously.

"We'll see you later, Sily," added Novia as she vanished in the woods with Silver.

Silyah leaned against a tree and looked through her stuff. She still had a water bottle, her plastic bag and her bed sheets. Her first aid kit was securely tied at her belt and she had a few of the roots she and Novia had collected. Silver had given her a knife, as well as the two smaller ones that were now part of her boots… She would be able to work with that in case something was to happen…

* * *

Elon had followed Caskar since the beginning of the Games for one reason and one reason only and now, he could actually feel that he was getting closer to his goal. Actually, the Careers were standing approximately ten meters away from it.

"Okay everyone, time to split up." Caskar marched in front of his group, observing every face before him. "We have to circle the caves; they may have many entrances and nothing can guarantee us that the one we are searching for is still acting like a coward inside of them," he snapped dryly. "Elon, Crelin; you will go around the mountain and explore the area. Kalheb, Acassie; you will take the back of the mountain. Geneva will take the front, I'll take the side."

"Understood, _boss_," said Acassie, resisting against the urge to roll her eyes despite the fact that she had nothing better to do than to obey Caskar's orders.

"Let's meet up here when we'll be done," grinned the District 1 boy. He then dismissed his allies and headed for the side of the caves.

Elon eyed Crelin as they walked around the mountain. "Do you think we should try to find him on our own, like the lady asked us to?" he whispered to her.

"Most definitely," nodded the girl. "She promised us a way to win if we disposed of _him_, after all."

"I say that we go around the mountain, like Caskar said, but after that, we separate from the alliance and concentrate on _that_…"

"Yes," smiled Crelin.

It was their mission in the arena, in the end. The lady with the black hair had requested it during their training. Her tone had seemed so kind. She had promised them that they would get out of the arena alive and well if they did as they were told…

* * *

Scpenser eyed Artemis from the tip of his toes, to his injured shoulder, then to his head. He was not doing so well… The raven-haired boy was sickly pale, leaning into the cave's wall, panting for air and in sweat. His good arm was wrapped around his almost healed wound… There was no doubt about it, something had gone wrong with his healing process. A blood poisoning caused by the moss Artemis had used to stop his initial bleeding was the most plausible answer considering that it was something beyond the abilities of his ill-gotten magic.

"Art? We have to get moving. Do you think that you're well enough to go out and get food?"

"I could tell you that I am, but even you must be able to see that I am in no such state…" Artemis did not even bother to correct the fact that Scpenser had called him _Art_.

Further in the caves the sound of footsteps echoed against the walls. The steps themselves were still far away, but another tribute was nevertheless approaching.

"Art!" Scpenser had tried to get the boy to move ever since he had first heard the nearing opponent and if his last attempt was not to work, he would have to go towards a more radical solution. "It's not in my intention to die here. We've got to get going."

Artemis nodded, his ahead spinning despite his slow movements. "I know… Give me a minute…"

Artemis really did try to get up, but Scpenser knew that this would not cut it. The footsteps were increasing in intensity. It did cross Scpenser's mind to just leave Artemis in the caves as he made an escape, but the possibility of the District 3 boy following him and putting him in danger was what convinced him of giving up on mercy. The strong boy from the Seam placed one hand on his hammer pick. "Art," he said in a sharp tone, not even hiding his annoyance.

Artemis took a deep breath, moving away from the wall with caution. He could hear his blood pounding in his ears. "Yes?"

There was a strange glow in Scpenser's eyes. "I'm sorry it had to end this way, Art."

"I beg you pardon?"

Scpenser raised his hammer, aiming it in Artemis's direction.

The pale boy's eyes grew big. He managed to duck the attack mere seconds before the hammer lodged itself on the cave's wall. By it's position, the weapon would have punctured Artemis's skull had he stayed still. "Scpenser… What are you –" began the raven-haired boy as the District 12 one retrieved his hammer pick, cutting his question short with another hit.

Even if Artemis was still slow, the adrenaline rushing through his system forced him to dodge every attack Scpenser laid on him; the deadly situation had had the advantage of making the weak boy move.

Stumbling through the caves, the pair finally reached the mouth of the gallery they had been hiding in. For a moment, Scpenser paused, having to squint as he caught a glimpse of the ground, which was covered in pure white snow and reflecting every parcel of light that would hit it.

_Snow… Wonderful,_ thought Artemis, also noticing the change of weather before being quickly tossed back into reality by Scpenser.

"Why won't you let yourself die, Art?" shouted the boy from the Seam. Would he have been aware that shouting in an arena would have repercussions, he would probably have avoided it…

Artemis moved backwards, glancing over his shoulder. A few more steps and he would reach the edge of a small cliff…

Scpenser steadied himself on the snow-covered rocks and aimed the pointed end of his hammer one last time towards Artemis.

The raven-haired boy took a final step back, his feet no longer finding the ground, sending him over the edge of the cliff as he let go of a choked scream.

The District 12 boy looked over the edge of the small rocky cliff. Artemis's fall would not be lethal, but it would certainly keep him out for a few minutes, if not hours. Scpenser tied his hammer back on his belt and took the time to let his eyes adjust to the light. From where he was standing, he could see most of the arena. He could see the waterfalls, the Cornucopia, the path leading to the caves… But he never saw what was behind him.

Geneva lifted her new and shiny double-bladed axe above her head, glad to have received this nice little treat from a sponsor. At first, she had expected to find Artemis, but instead, a tall and strong-looking boy was standing in front of her… Not that it made any difference to the District 1 girl; a kill was a kill. She therefore moved closer and hurled her axe straight on the young man's neck. The boy who had tried to save his life by getting rid of Artemis had not even gotten the chance to realize that his plan had led to his loss. Soon enough, a cannon confirmed the damage done by Geneva.

The feline girl retrieved her precious axe, licking it clean of blood. She walked over Scpenser's body, peering over the edge of the cliff. On the ground below her was a small trail of blood… Artemis's without a doubt…

* * *

The Careers, or at least some of them, were really close; Silver and Novia were certain of it.

"I hope that it's _Wannabe Caskar,_" murmured Silver with a laugh. "I'd like to show him my skills."

Novia smirked. "I don't think that you would have to him many skills; he's hopeless."

Silver sent her a grin. "True," she nodded. After a little while, she could no longer hold back what she had in mind. "So… On to another subject: what do you think of the Clockwork Angel and the Ice Prince?"

"I don't know… They may be pulling a 'Katniss-Peeta' thing…" Novia then shook her head. "Who am I kidding?"

"No one," smiled Silver. "That's is most likely why I saved him earlier in the games," she winked.

"Really?" They walked more slowly for an instant. "What exactly made you save them?"

"I…" Silver's eyes went far away… Back home, to be exact. "He reminded me of someone I know…"

Novia's own eyes found Silver's necklace, where hung a diamond studded cross and a thin gold band that used to be on the District 6 girl's finger. "Would that person be the one who offered you that ring?"

Silver sighed. "Yes…"

For the first time since she had met Silver, Novia got a glimpse of the girl behind the weapons.

"I promised him to win and come back so that we could marry."

Novia understood by Silver's tone that the last thing she had said had been meant to soften the Capitol's audience, for there was something hidden under the layers of her voice. From having watched the Reapings, Novia remembered that Silver had actually volunteered for the Games… She furrowed her brows, but did not ask further questions.

"Let's go," suddenly said Silver. She had heard the sound of leaves rustling and the one of boots walking on the fresh snow… They were close to someone else.

Elon had run around the mountain, as well as around a small frozen lake when he realized that he had lost Crelin. He had figured that the one he was looking for might have left the caves to explore the adjacent areas and had therefore decided to do the same, being too preoccupied by his goal to even notice that his ally had left his side.

"Why won't you let yourself die, Art?" shouted a strong voice from relatively far away. Elon quickly turned. Someone had found Artemis. At first he had intended to follow the voice, but two things prevented him from doing so. First, a cannon blasted through the air and then, a small metallic object flew in front of the District 2 boy's face, only missing his nose by a few inches.

"Hey!" The boy searched the woods for the sourced for the attack despite the fact that something at the base of his skull – _an impulse –_ was fighting to make him go to Artemis. "Crelin?" he called, hoping that his District's female tribute was close by. There was no reply… At least, not from the girl in question…

"No, not Crelin," said a female's voice.

A blow dart nearly brushed Elon's face once again. What had the lady said about that? _Destroy everything that prevents you from achieving your goal._

"Looking for the Ice Prince, aren't you?" Silver moved from behind the trees, feeling confident enough to confront him.

Novia shortly followed Silver. "It's just the boy from 2," she said, exaggerating disappointment. "May I?" she asked Silver, not even waiting for an answer before pulling out a weapon from her bag and launching forward.

_The impulse _at the base of Elon's skull soon became too strong to be controlled. He did not have the time to fight with the small dark-haired coming his way, therefore he ran away in the opposite direction.

Novia went after the Career tribute, eager to show the audience that she had some skills. Maybe she could even get some sponsors if she caught and killed Elon. She took a small knife from her belt and threw it towards the boy. The knife slid along Elon's cheek before lodging itself into a tree. He tried to ignore Novia as he ran towards where he hoped Artemis would be, but it soon became impossible. The girl would not be going down without a fight. Elon slowed his pace, letting Novia reach him. The girl attempted an attack, which was stopped by Elon's strong hands.

"Leave now…" The boy warned her.

"Scared, Career?" Novia took a second knife from her belt and aimed for Elon's throat. The boy avoided the attack, the knife ending up making a slice in his arm.

Now that was it. He had to get rid of Novia.

Elon got hold of the District 5 girl's neck, wrapping his fingers around it. Novia fought him back; kicking him and digging her own fingers in the wound her knife had let on his arm. Using his strength at his advantage, Elon lifted Novia and shook her up like a rag doll, destabilizing and disorienting her. Feeding his impulse, Elon then ran towards a tree, smashing Novia's form on its trunk. An awful cracking sound pierced the air. Novia was unsure if it was the tree or her skull.

In a flash and without ever looking back, Elon ran away.

Silver had followed the fighting pair through the woods, unsure of how she should handle the situation. If she got in the fight, she would risk killing Novia while attacking Elon… The girl blew a few blow darts in the boy's direction, carefully avoiding Novia. She was about to give up the darts and get to physical fight when suddenly, she saw Elon shattering Novia's head against a maple, to then simply go back to running. For an instant, Silver contemplated going after him, but a weak whimper coming from Novia made her decide otherwise.

"Novia…" Silver made her way towards her fallen friend, kneeling down beside her. "Novia?"

"Silv… Please… Tell me that the noise I heard…was the tree…" the small girl was breathless.

Silver sighed. "It wasn't…" Why lie? There was absolutely no point in trying to comfort the other girl by giving her too much hope; she was going to die, no matter what.

Novia's shaky hand went to the back of he head. "You have no idea how much it hurts," she whispered, blinking away tears. She removed her now bloody hand from her hair.

"No, I have no idea…" Silver took her ally's hand, her blood smearing over her slim fingers. She tried to hide her sadness, but even a tribute like Silver had their weak spots.

"Can you… Promise me a revenge?" The District 5 girl's voice was growing fainter through her jagged breathing.

"It's the first thing on my list. I'll find Elon and give him what he deserves." A burning hate gleamed through Silver's blue eyes as she spoke.

"Thank you…"

Silver murmured a soft and short lullaby in Novia's ear as the petite girl cried in her arms, trying to hold on to life a few more seconds.

"Go get him…" The last District 5 tribute asked Silver, closing her tear-filled eyes.

Silver nodded as she got to her feet, feeling something wet making its way down her cheek. She quickly removed it, now seeing the small drop of water on her finger. A tear…

As Silver followed Elon's trails in the woods, a cannon went off.


	24. Chapter Twenty-Three, The 2nd Bloodbath

_**Chapter Twenty-Three, The Second Bloodbath**_

The sound of a cannon reverberated through the snow-covered arena, reaching the lower area of the caves, where a pale-faced boy had collapsed. Artemis Fowl opened his eyes abruptly, startled by the announcement of a death.

For a second, his whole world began to spin and then, it settled down, allowing the young man to reconstruct the latest events… Scpenser had led him over a cliff; that much, he did remember, but what had happened afterwards? Clearly, he had survived his fall, but by judging by the agonizing pain in his left ankle, his trip down the caves had not been too gentle on him. With the pain in his chest suggesting that he was suffering from blood poisoning added to his new injury and the fact that his skin was as cold and white as ice, Artemis could consider himself lucky to be alive…

_Why don't you let yourself die, Art? _Scpenser's last words echoed through his mind. Why wouldn't he let himself die? Artemis sighed; the temperature in his body must have dropped down dramatically for when he did so, only a thin veil of fog escaped from his lips. Maybe that deep down, he kept on trying to survive because he knew that if he could manage to win, against all odds, he could find a way back to his own time…

Artemis attempted to get up, his only reward being a sharp burning pain down his foot. The pale boy rested against the wall of rocks behind him, breathing heavily. Physical pain was starting to be really hard on him. This was the very reason he had always trusted Butler and Holly to take care of the action… Now he had neither Butler, nor his elfin friend at his side and if he did not find a way to man up and go on, he never would again. Fowls were fighters by nature; they constantly kept on against all odds, that was how it had always been and Artemis was not about to fail. He had battled trolls for Frond's sake! He had seen and felt the cold in the arctic – the arena's weather was nothing – and most importantly, he had already defeated Opal Koboi more than once. Even though the circumstances were different in this new place and time, Artemis steeled himself, slowly getting up. There seemed to be one last fight left in that particular Fowl.

A gust of cold air hit Artemis as he stood up. Taking in the snowy landscape, he saw the path he had taken in order to get to the caves. Hopefully, the white field would not reveal other tributes his position as he would progress in the arena on his own. If someone was to find him in his pitiful state that last fight might end way to abruptly…

Artemis moved slowly, though it was already better than not moving at all. He knew that his ankle would have been better off stabilized, but letting it stay still would not do much for it anyway.

The thick snowflakes falling from the sky had already started to cover Artemis's hair with a white veil and the cold was not helping him as he was beginning to wander in the arena, trying to find a good place to take shelter in and perhaps find some food. Artemis pulled up his coat's zip closure, sure that a case of hypothermia was a plausible eventuality.

"Chilly, Ice Prince?" A familiar, feline feminine voice, which Artemis knew for her hateful tone came from behind him.

The boy turned slowly, his mismatching eyes meeting with the cold stare of Geneva's dark green ones. If she were to decide to use the sharp, double-bladed axe she had in her hand, Artemis would not stand for too long…

Geneva leaned on her axe as if it were a fancy cane. "Have you been hiding here since the beginning of the Games? Without Silyah?" she asked, sneering.

"What way does that matter to you?" replied Artemis, his voice as cold as their surroundings.

"Well, it's not very polite to keep your competitors waiting. We had to waste a few days searching for you, you know…" she dragged the conversation, well aware that Artemis did not have the means to escape her.

"It seems to me that the searching came to an end…" Artemis scanned the nearby area to see if Geneva had company, but as far as he could see, she was the only one who had found him. "What happened to Caskar? Was he too scared of me?"

Geneva laughed. "Who knows what's going on in his mind? Anyway… He wanted us to find you so _he_ could kill you himself…"

"Yet I cannot detect his presence here…" With his usual self-control, Artemis kept his voice from revealing that he felt like shaking on the inside.

"He's going to be mad at me, you know…"

"Not that it would stop you…"

"You're absolutely right," she smiled, picking up her axe. "So, tell me, since you made me laugh; how do youwant to want to die? I can grant you this, after all."

"Now that you ask," Artemis's lips turned into a smirk. "I would prefer not dying at all today."

"I could have guessed so." Geneva had to admit; Artemis was courageous for someone who was about to disappear from the surface of the Earth. "But my axe and I crave to see if your blood is blue, Ice Prince."

"As much as I would have loved to fulfill your wish, Geneva, I must inform you that you do no…" As the sentence progressed, Artemis had slowly mixed a hint of _mesmer_ into his voice.

"Do not?" Geneva's arms went numb. She dropped her axe.

Artemis's smirk grew even closer to his signature vampire grin. "Indeed. You will not kill me, nor try to harm me."

"Not harm you…" Geneva's eyes went wide, yet she felt like her brain was getting submerged into a pool of fog.

"Exactly." Artemis gave himself a second to breath back a wince; the pain from his various injuries did not help him to concentrate on his _mesmer_. "You shall help me find a safe water source, a river."

"A river? Why do you want to go swim?"

"My reasons do not concern you, your only goal is to make sure I am taken there. Do you understand?"

Geneva nodded and smiled. She took her axe and slung it over her shoulder. Then, she grabbed Artemis's hand. "Let's find a river."

Geneva supported Artemis as they walked in the forest. She was not too sure of what she was doing, or where she was heading, but she had to help Artemis. She had to find the river. At the moment, it seemed like her only goal in life, her ultimate mission. It was important. So important that she had been lucky to realize that she was now walking alone. She had lost Artemis shortly after having looked to the horizon in her search for a river. Quickly, though with much less coordination than when she was in control of her body, she spun on her heels.

Artemis was leaning against a snow-covered tree, catching his breath. He could feel his heart desperately beating in his throat. Needless to say, he was not doing so well. His condition was getting worst and faster than he had expected it to do so.

"Will you be able to go on to the river?" Geneva asked Artemis. "Do you want me to carry you while we are searching for the river, Master Fowl?"

"That will not be necessary," gasped Artemis. "Go find the river on your own and then return to me and take me there."

"Do I bring my weapon?"

"Yes… And take down whatever comes your way…" Why not? Letting Geneva handle the remaining tributes – should any cross her path – would surely help his case.

Artemis could have sworn he had seen sparkles in Geneva's eyes when she realized that he had giving her the right to take down any threat. The girl smiled brightly at him and left. She had to search for the river.

* * *

Silyah could not believe her ears. Her heart was nervously throbbing in her chest; she had heard two cannons since Silver and Novia had left. Why did she worry so much for the others while she was too much of a coward to even help them? _Oh, wait, I know why, s_he thought. I_t's because I know that I would not even stand half the chance they have if I were to fight._

The girl clenched the three spears she had made from sharpened tree branches. She could hear that she was near a water current and she knew that she was in an area she had never explored before. She had in mind to get closer to the water source and maybe try to tidy herself up, or at least wash her hair if nobody was around and given that the water was not too cold.

Silyah crossed countless trees, bushes and snow banks, one steep ascending slope and at least two strange looking creatures – probably mutations, or something – and now, she was within view range of a river where was a bridge similar to the one she had crossed with Novia and Silver, only this one being much more icy.

Using her spears like walking sticks to steady herself, the young woman stepped on the bridge before lowering herself, remembering that it would be much safer to crawl on it if enemies were to be near. At a reasonable pace, she slid her way up the bridge, being careful not to lose any of the few precious pieces of equipment she had.

After a long time crawling on her stomach, Silyah reached the end of the bridge. She slid her spears about one meter away from where she was and cautiously got up…

* * *

Geneva had reached what looked like a frozen river. That was surely what she had been searching for. Her smile grew even brighter. She stepped closer to the body of water to make sure that it was what she had been requested to find. Satisfied with herself, she turned in order to report back to Artemis… But then, from the corner of her eye, she saw something slide on the white ground… Three spears, to be exact… Geneva looked over to her left. A brown-haired girl was getting up from the bridge about ten meters away from her. After shaking a bit of snow from her outfit, the girl took back the spears.

_Take down whatever comes your way… _That was what Artemis had told Geneva. The District 1 girl grabbed her axe. Her cheerful _mesmerized_ grin suddenly became much darker… Almost _twisted._

* * *

Silyah noticed Geneva and her blood covered axe precisely four seconds after getting up.

_Oh, oh… _Silyah's heart began a rather fast race. If only her feet could do the same! What could she do? The girl Career tribute from 1 was running straight towards her with a maniacal smile and a bloody axe. She tried to tame her shaky hands and decided to do what Beetee would want her to do. "D'arvit!" she spat as she threw her first two spears in Geneva's direction. One of them did hit her, but the feline girl was still heading in Silyah's direction. There weren't many options left now… Silyah's hand locked around her last spear as she firmly held it in front of her. As if it would make the situation a little less difficult, she closed her eyes shut. Then, Silyah heard a gasp, not even knowing if it came from her or from Geneva. For several minutes, her eyes remained closed; she was not even daring to move. She had to let her heartbeat get back to normal before.

Finally, she peeked through her snow-covered brown locks and saw something unbelievable, which was later confirmed by a cannon shot. Her first homemade spear had lightly brushed Geneva's arm, but her last one was right in her chest, probably puncturing the girl's lungs. Silyah's face went immediately back under her hair as she completely let go of the spear. What had she done? Well, for one thing, she had saved her life, but now, a pool of red now tinted the pure white snow. Opening one of her eyes, Silyah walked towards the spear that had not touched Geneva and picked it up. Avoiding as much as possible to look at the corpse, the tribute from 3 ran the _D'arvit_ away.

* * *

The sharp sound of the cannon that had rang for Geneva's death brought Artemis back from a foggy state. The pain in his body had started to dull his senses, making him drift more easily into darkness. Still, he had not lost the sense of time and quickly realized that Geneva had been gone for way too long.

Feeling heavy, Artemis noticed that he was carrying his backpack. Though it contained very useful materials, the boy dropped in on the snow. If we were to be able to reach the river, he would have to travel as lightly as possible even if that meant to be unprotected… Not that any of his belongings would be of any use to him in his state…

After hiding his backpack under a snow-covered rock, Artemis decided to test out his luck. Taking out his knife, he scratched some words on the side of the rock; simplified Gnommish words…

Then, he steadied himself and began to walk through the woods. His progress seemed to take forever and every time he would set his left foot down, pain would shoot through it, adding a second layer of difficulty to his task. He tried to follow Geneva's footsteps as best he could, but two things prevented him to do so; the snow that kept on falling over them and his less than healthy state.

Artemis stumbled in the forest until he finally reached the banks of a river. A hovercraft was in the middle of picking up a body nearby. By the color of her hair and her stature, it could have been no one but Geneva… That was not a good sign; who ever had killed Geneva could still be in the area, ready for more and as of now, Artemis was a very obvious target.

The boy stared at the ice-filled river, then to his wounds. He would have to find an accessible source of water to clean his blood-covered skin and to quench his thirst. He walked around the river, desperately searching for a hole in the ice.

* * *

Silyah had run beside Geneva's footsteps, vaguely following the faint trail of blood her axe had left on the snow. In a moment of terror, the girl realized that if an enemy were to pass by, she would not even hear him or her due to the blood pounding in her ears and to her heavy breathing.

She had no idea as to why she had decided to run to where Geneva had been, but she knew that she had to get away from the dead body. She could not get her brain to understand the gravity of the situation. She had just killed someone! Killed, not injured or given an electric shock; killed!

A shadow passed above her, revealing itself as a hovercraft heading towards Geneva's remains. As she looked back down on the ground, Silyah slowed down her pace, observing that there were now two foot-tracks imprinted in the snow. One of the tracks was steady and straight, but the other one suggested that someone had been stumbling over his own feet for quite a while.

Silyah was about to pause to catch her breath when she tripped over something. She avoided a fall by grabbing the nearest tree branch. When she was sure that she would not hit the ground, Silyah looked down to what had disturbed her balance. It was the strap of a backpack… _Maybe it's a trick; maybe the owner of the backpack will pop out from behind a tree and then kill me. _However, as her thoughts were running wild, her eyes saw something new; an etching, a series of lines arranged to form symbols Silyah knew very well. Artemis Fowl himself had taught them to her on the train.

_Gone to river,_ it read. This message had been meant for Silyah to read that was for sure. She shook her head, not wanting to go back to the riverbank… Nevertheless, she grabbed Artemis's backpack, slung it over her shoulders and sprinted back to the river.

Adrenaline soon became amazingly powerful in Silyah's body; if it had not been for it, the young woman would probably have crumbled up in a ball to wait to die of cold.

* * *

Silyah Natho was not the only one running at the moment. Elon Jokter, tribute from District 2 was also trying to reach Artemis Fowl… While escaping from Silver Canemon…

The boy was now near the end of a river, desperately trying to take cover. He avoided another blow dart, which made his head turn to the left, but also making something catch his eye… The widest of the grins pulled up the corners of Elon's mouth. Just in front of him, trying to get some water from the river was the Ice Prince himself.

The black-haired boy had climbed on a rocky ledge to avoid falling face first in the water. In a flash, Elon completely forgot about Silver and hurled himself towards the rock. Inside of his brain, a pixie-like voice was laughing and praising him. Silently, the strong boy from 2 ripped a pointy icicle from a tree and sneaked behind Artemis.

_Great rewards await you, Elon! _Screamed the voice Elon knew as _the impulse_.

Carefully, Elon scaled the rock. Artemis did not even seem to notice his presence. _The impulse _was so strong; Artemis Fowl was so close… The Career tribute clutched the icicle as if his whole life was inside of it.

Somehow, the Fowl boy heard something. Slowly, he turned around only to face Elon. A terrifyingly huge smile was on the Career's face as he got hold of Artemis's arm. The District 3 boy's eyes grew big. In one quick movement, Elon crushed the icicle right on Artemis's temple. The boy watched as the scarlet cut drew a gush of Artemis's blood on the snowy ground on which Artemis collapsed.

Artemis never felt the cold snow underneath him… The blood from his cut was making its way down the side of his sickeningly pale features, the red providing a dramatic contrast to his white shades. Apart from the flowing blood, Artemis was immobile.

Elon watched the boy at his feet and laughed. He kicked to body right into the river and then laughed some more as it shattered the ice on it. The Ice Prince would be no more! The tall boy heard a cannon and his eyes spaced out before gaining back their old focus. Elon looked at the body now floating in the river. He could not even remember getting in the arena, let alone the fact that he had killed somebody. He blinked a couple of times. There was not a sharp pain in his neck artery and then, he closed his eyes forever.

* * *

Silyah had gotten back to the river in less time than when she had left it. Apparently, she was not alone in the area anymore… Two other people were by the water source. The girl from 3 hid behind a rock at the edge of the river and reluctantly watched the rest of the events unfold for seconds that seemed to last a lifetime. From where she was hidden, she saw Artemis climb up on a rock and then Elon get right behind him, but there was nothing she could do about it. She was paralyzed by fear. The brown-haired girl did, however, cover her eyes with her cold fingers when she saw Elon's icicle plunge into Artemis's skull. She bit the inside of her cheek so hard not to scream that her mouth had started to taste like blood. Elon then dropped Artemis on the rock. The boy looked so breakable… His skin was as pale as the snow he laid on; his hair was covered in small snowflakes, making it look white… Silyah clenched her fist, digging her fingernails into her palm.

She watched Elon laugh as he heard a cannon, yet in a short moment of victory, it was now her turn to smile… From within the shadows of the woods, a poisoned blow dart sent by Silver had found Elon's neck.


	25. Chapter Twenty-Four, Freezing

_**Chapter Twenty-Four, Freezing**_

Silyah crawled out from her hiding place, holding on to Artemis's backpack. One of her hands went to her throat, where a tight ball was beginning to form. She had to get away! She gathered up the little strength left in her and looked away from Elon's crumbling figure. She forced her feet to drag her towards the bridge she had previously crossed, desperately wanting to get away from all the death scenes she had seen.

When she finally got to the suspended planks of wood, Silyah grabbed the two ropes that stood instead of rails and began the slow process of crossing the river, not even caring about being too visible. She had only taken a few steps when a morbid curiosity got her to look towards _the rock_. Her gaze then moved down to the river, where the water had already taken a red tint… Flashbacks from her nightmare attacked Silyah's mind.

After the initial shock, chaos erupted in Silyah's brain. She had caught glimpse of a navy blue coat in the water, just beside the place where the red hue in the river was the brightest. Despite her urge to scream in hysteria, she was unable to keep her gaze from the frozen water and the body inside of it, however, when hovercrafts appeared in the sky, she forced herself to look away.

The young woman went back to crossing the bridge, slipping multiple times, not even being bothered by the fact that the pale skin on her arms was turning into black and blue bruises. The adrenaline that had fed her energy earlier had now deserted Silyah, leaving the blue-eyed girl so exhausted and uneasy that she barely noticed her feet touching the other side of the river.

Nevertheless, as soon as she felt the cushion of the freshly fallen snow under her boots, she crumbled on the ground. She removed Artemis's bag from her shoulders and tossed it behind her. The girl muffled a scream of rage in the sleeves of her coat and leaned back against a tree before rubbing her shaky, frozen hands together in an attempt to obtain a little bit of warmth. Suddenly, she felt like running far away – as far as the arena's force field – and not give a thought about anything else, but she could not; she was alone, cold, scared and most importantly furious. Furious about having decided to split up from Silver and Novia, furious about being such a coward and more than furious to have be the spectator of Artemis's murder without having done anything to prevent it… If only he could have died without her having to witness it!

In one sharp movement, Silyah got up, turned to the tree behind her and kicked its trunk until her foot hurt, which was after approximately three kicks. Once again, she dropped to the ground, this time reaching in her coat's back pocket for a bed sheet and her water bottle. She wrapped the sheet around her shoulders, frowned, then sweared. The bottle was empty. Not even wanting to consider going to the river, the young woman grabbed a handful of snow from the ground, bringing it to her mouth. She let go of another swear as she took it the strange, almost chemical smell emanating from the cold ball in her hand. At that point, she wanted to burn the Capitol down, or better yet, freeze it to the very core; she would have to go fill up her empty water bottle in the river in which had bled Artemis Fowl. Well, it was not as if she was not already tasting blood; it was filling her mouth because of how hard she had bitten the side of her cheeks in order to choke her screams.

Silyah girl kicked the ground as she got up and walked to the river. She took a branch from beside the stream and tried to make a hole in the ice covering it. If her technique was not successful, at least it had the power to calm her rage down. At one point, she threw the branch in the middle of the river and picked up a rock. It would be much more effective than a stupid twig.

Each time she hit the ice, she thought of the District 2 boy's face. _You're just as bad as him, _said a hateful voice in her head. _You are a murderer too; there is blood on your hands and over your name!_ Elon's face was soon replaced by her own.

_Killer. Murderer. Assassin._

Silyah only realized that she had actually made a hole in the ice when she noticed that her sleeves were soaked up to her elbows. She shook her head and looked back in the water, where she saw Artemis's pale, blood-covered face… His accusatory and hate-filled eyes, which had been haunting Silyah ever since she had her nightmare… She shook the vision away, grabbing her head with her two hands. She had always known that her dream would make her go crazy after Artemis's death.

Silyah starred intensely at the water before her, for if she closed her eyes, she would see herself killing her District's male tribute over and over and over again…

Her fingernails were almost digging in her scalp when she caught a glimpse of red in a sea – or in this case, river – of white.

Silyah found her water bottle beside her, giving it a long look before putting it back in her coat's back pocket. She would have to find another water source; she was not able to stand the sight of the thin film of scarlet moving with the current of the river.

She backed away, all too aware that she would not be able to sleep peacefully tonight. She had killed somebody and watched way too many people die from up close.

She walked back to the place where she had tossed Artemis's backpack. Perhaps she could get something useful from his fall… She opened the bag and found various items made of copper and stone. _Very peculiar… _she thought. So that was how the Ice Prince had spent his arena days…

All of a sudden, a "thump" sound brought Silyah's attention back to the river. Something had gotten stuck in the clusters of the water current's shattered ice pieces. Something, which thanks to the flow of the stream, was hitting against the river's icy edges… A body.

* * *

Effie was once again at the edge of her seat, as Claudius Templesmith and Caesar Flickerman were describing what they had baptized _The Second Bloodbath._

After the deaths of Moss and Thea in the morning, the kills kept on coming and they all appeared to have been caused by a split in the alliances, as well as a strange need for revenge.

"Just look at this! Scpenser Ross, hoping to save his own life by getting Artemis to move." Claudius was watching his monitor with wide eyes.

"He certainly never saw Geneva coming!" Caesar wore an expression similar to his co-host's.

The scene then switched to Silyah parting ways with Silver and Novia, shortly followed by Novia attacking Elon. "That was not a good idea…" Caesar had made sure that his tone had reflected just the right amount grief; foreshadowing Novia's imminent fate.

"Speaking of strange behaviors…" Claudius placed a hand on his chin, giving himself a thoughtful look as the scene changed.

Effie was gripping the armrests of her chair with such force that her fingers ached. Geneva was after Artemis; her axe ready to be raised at any second.

Beetee adjusted his glasses to make sure that what he saw was not a trick from his vision. As Geneva threatened him, Artemis looked extremely confident despite his bad shape… Then, with one simple order from the boy, the feline District 1 girl became all smiles and sweetness.

"How did he…" began the mentor, not even finishing his question.

"Perhaps the District 1 girl has taken pity on the boy. He is clearly struggling to keep his eyes opened and his feet in the right tracks," suggested Caesar almost as if he had heard Beetee's enquiry. What the announcer did not say, however, was that he was certain that his theory was far from the truth. After all, everybody in Panem had watched Geneva ask Artemis how he would like to die before jumping right in _Team Ice Prince_.

"Well, Caesar, you've got to admit that the situation could not have gotten any worst than death for Artemis Fowl." Claudius looked at a file on which featured the medical records of every tribute of the 80th Hunger Games. Quickly, he scrolled down to Artemis's section. "Since the beginning of the Games he got himself a knife in the shoulder, a blood infection from the water he tended his wound with, he fell down a cliff and thus suffered from many minor injuries and most likely, a broken foot or ankle. For this year, he has the longest list of unfortunate injuries and by far. As Scpenser Ross said, the kid will not let himself die!"

The District 3 team shook their heads in unison. Artemis was probably the most accident-prone kid they had ever sent to the Hunger Games, but he also had the advantage of being the most tenacious one.

The giant screen on which the District 3 team watched the Games now displayed Geneva finding a river and a terrified, wide-eyed Silyah.

Beetee almost felt the need to close his eyes, knowing all too well that Silyah was not a fighter… Judging by the fact that Geneva was running towards the brunette girl and by the advanced condition of Artemis's state, today could be the very day of both the District 3 tributes' loss…

Yet, to everyone's surprise, Silyah did not let Geneva get to her. Effie could not hide her grin; she nearly felt like clapping as she saw how the young District 3 girl had handled the situation. Apparently, Silyah had decided to stay calm and let Geneva run straight into her last spear, digging it in her own catlike body.

Ilranor and Xarone hugged each other in joy, each clinking their drinks with Effie's, but on the other side of the room, Beetee simply kept on watching the screen, a serious expression on his face. Technically, Silyah was not undefeated yet. She still had to face the fact that she had just become an active Hunger Games tribute; beside her official picture would now appear Geneva's name as her victim. Beetee grunted. He knew that Silyah did not handle deaths very well… That would be a great weakness to be exploited by the Gamemakers later on…

"Now, watch carefully because the next deaths happened nearly simultaneously. I have no idea as to how the tributes got to manage their time like that; it's truly unbelievable," said Caesar, captivated as the image on the screen was split in two, showing all the action.

The District 3 team glued their eyes on the right part of the television on which a feeble-looking Ice Prince was trying to get some water from a frozen river. Behind him was a mysteriously euphoric-looking Elon, armed with a thick and pointed icicle.

_This is it, _thought Beetee. _No more boy tribute for this year._

Elon dug the icicle in the Ice Prince's head.

Effie let out a high-pitched squeal of horror, matching Ilranor's. Now, a terrible feeling hovered around the escort. Once again, she asked herself why she cared so much about her team this year. Maybe it was because they were the only ones who had ever shown genuine kindness to her… She quickly shrugged away of the alien feeling as she thought that the Ice Prince had at least lived up to his name. He had stayed absolutely fashionistic during his final scene; the frost in his hair, the pale skin and the one line of scarlet blood dripping down his temple… A very dramatic composition…

Then, still on the right side of the screen, the audience could see Silver blowing a poisonous dart right in Elon's neck, hitting his artery… However, just before the dart punctured Elon's throat, the left side of the screen caught Beetee's attention. On it was the young Crelin Spooks, dying to the hands of Harbor Pearl…

"Looks like it was not a lucky day for District 2," shrugged Claudius.

"Indeed, pal. On the other hand, it seemed to be one for Silver; very impressive shooting range for Ms. Canemon!" added Caesar approvingly.

"Well, dear audience, that was it for The Second Bloodbath. So many deaths in not so much time… I would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone to update their poll pages considering that now only eight tributes remain… For now," said Claudius as the screen showed Silyah kicking a tree in rage.

Effie was glad that Silyah had survived the killings, but she could not help but to be exasperated at the moment. "That is mahogany," she sighed, pointing to the tree Silyah was fighting and clearly losing against.

Beetee gave her a look. Was she truly worried about the tree? Silyah was having a mental breakdown – which Beetee knew would have come eventually – while Artemis was nowhere to be seen… Yet…

_If only Silyah knew… _thought Beetee.


	26. Chapter Twenty-Five, Fatal Decisions

_**Chapter Twenty-Five, Fatal Decisions**_

_ If you were to find Artemis on the verge of death somewhere in the arena, how would you react?_

A few days ago, the day before the tributes left for the arena, Beetee had asked Silyah that very question. It had been the only one she had not been able to answer…

Silyah felt like kicking and screaming and shouting awful things to the body floating in the water for having disturbed her mind, but the part of her that was not affected by grief was standing at a crossroad. Now, she had two choices and both of them would probably result in terrible mental consequences.

Her first option was to leave Artemis in the river to die; one less tribute to worry about. _This is what Beetee wants you to do. That is how a Hunger Games winner would react._

Silyah felt sick at the idea of having watched a ruthless murder after having killed somebody with her own spears. It felt like a knife being slowly inserted between her shoulder blades. The voice of madness in her head was laughing at her for that logic. _See, you deserve what is happening to you! You took someone's life away, now life takes someone from you!_

"D'arvit!" she spat, infuriated by the voice haunting her. "Just watch me go!"

She sprinted to the river, the blanket on her shoulder falling on the ground. She would not let the Capitol take away the things she had fought to hold on to ever since the Reaping; her mind and Artemis Fowl.

She removed some pieces of ice from where the body was floating and grabbed the frail boy, putting his head and shoulders on the shore.

For a second, she was taken aback. The young man at her feet looked so much like the one from her dream… Except for one thing; he almost looked peaceful rather than filled with hatred. She nearly feared to touch him now, seeing his extremely pale skin covered in a frost that resembled all too much the one he had painted on his arm during training. The boy looked as if he might shatter with the slightest impact; so fragile. Silyah was afraid that by trying to save him, she might end up killing him…

"I will not let that happen," she breathed through clenched teeth.

Cautiously, she removed the body from the water. _What to do next? _she wondered.

She went to Artemis's neck, wanting to check for a pulse, but the nightmarish vision of her fingers around his throat prevented her to do so. Instead, she placed her ear above his chest… Though extremely faint, she found _it. _He was still alive even if he was far from being safe… Even if it was present, the quiet beat of his heart was slowly fading away. In fact, the boy was as close to death as he could have gotten before actually dying.

Fighting the urge to curl up in a ball and rock back and forth in panic, Silyah got back to where she had let her bed sheet fall and retrieved it from the ground. She then ran to Artemis's side and removed his coat from his frail figure before putting it in her plastic bag. In this cold, it was not exactly the best thing to be drenched in freezing water. Following the plan she had quickly developed, she tightly wrapped Artemis in the blanket. She then pulled out a larger bed sheet from her coat's back pocket and placed her companion on it. As if it were a hammock, Silyah fastened the new sheet around her shoulder just after having picked up every belonging she had brought to the riverbank. The young woman slid one of her arms under Artemis's knees, the other around his back and began to walk at a steady pace. She would have to find a safe place to spend the rest of the day before trying to nurse her District partner back to health.

As she tried to find her way in the forest, Artemis's head rested peacefully and motionlessly against Silyah's shoulder. Each time he would breath out – as faint as those breaths might have been – a light tickle brushed the girl's neck, slightly soothing her conscience. Every now and then, her eyes would meet Artemis's face, each time taking in a few details about his state. The frost in his hair had started to fade away and against her body, his skin did not feel as cold anymore, but that did not mean that he was getting better; the icy, almost see-through color of his skin and pale blue tone of his lips suggested as much anyway.

Even though she was exhausted, Silyah never felt like pausing to rest her arms. She knew that she had to get to somewhere safe and hidden from the rest of the tributes. Besides, even partly soaked in water, Artemis was not _that_ heavy. Therefore, Silyah kept on going, her eyes still going over Artemis's face every second or so… Even with his case of hypothermia, Silyah could not help but to notice how handsome he was. For a reason she could not begin to understand, the girl found herself quite fascinated by the boy's jawbone and by how his dark locks framed his features… Damn Artemis Fowl for his distracting looks; even at the brink of death, he still managed to be so… _Fashionistic_. Silyah rapidly shook her head. What was up with her? She was in an arena fighting for two lives at the same time and somehow, she had managed to start daydreaming about a boy; something she had never ever done before. Quickly, she brought her attention back to Artemis's medical state, only to notice something quite alarming; the faint tickle which had been constant on her neck was now gone…

Silyah's own breathing stopped abruptly to see if she could still hear Artemis's; to make sure that he was not about to disappear.

_No, no, no, no, no! _She shook her head, following the fast rhythm of her heartbeat. "Don't you dare dying on me again!"

As delicately as her panic allowed it, Silyah lowered Artemis's body on the ground and unfastened the sheet from around her shoulders. She tried to feel for his pulse again, her own heartbeat doubling when she only felt the slightest and faintest pulsation under her fingers.

In contrast to Silyah's expression, Artemis's looked so peaceful in his stillness. _It would almost be a shame to bring him back in this harsh reality,_ thought Silyah before being tossed right back into the said reality by the sudden and complete absence of pulse in the boy's chest.

It took Silyah a long time to remember the fact that she knew some basic first aid techniques; every District 3 resident knew how to reanimate someone due to the many electric shocks that could happen in a year. The girl ran through a quick mental check of her abilities and dived on Artemis even if she was expecting a cannon to go off soon. _CPR, mouth-to mouth resuscitation, CPR_; desperate tries to make the boy breathe again.

"Why do you torture me like that?" Silyah screamed to the sky, hoping that the Capitol would see how enraged she was. "You want me dead too? Send the Careers after me, but make that stupid cannon go off already!"

There came no cannon shot as Silyah begin to shout mindlessly. In fact, there came absolutely nothing. It had even stopped snowing. If it had not been from the dark aura hovering over them and the fact that they were in an arena battling against death, such a serene beauty would have emanated from their surroundings…

All of a sudden, an electronic tune hummed in the air. Silyah raised her eyes. Apparently, a rage tantrum could eventually lead to people giving her things. So much for being nice all of her life… She grabbed the falling silver parachute in mid air as soon as she had the occasion to do so. With shaking hands, she opened the box attached to her sponsor-sent gift and read the note inside of it.

_Look in his backpack and figure something out, _signed _Beetee_.

The District 3 girl raised an eyebrow. Along with the note was something that looked like a suction cup with a small needle at its center. Fortunately, Silyah knew what it was right away; she had seen this kind of medical equipment at the beginning of every school year, according to her teachers, it was the most important thing amongst all the materials that were available to them in case of an emergency… _But, to use this, you need something else to make the electrical discharge necessary to start a heart back up… _The girl rummaged through Artemis's backpack and found in it a rough-looking box which seemed to be made of copper; one of Artemis's inventions, most likely. Silyah struggled with the machine and the reanimation cup for ten seconds exactly before going right back to Artemis.

She placed the cup over the young man's heart and activated the machine. One spark flew through the copper wire.

No reaction.

She gave it another try, then another. "Why won't you get back, _cowpog_!" She frowned at her word choice, but quickly went back to her task.

Some parts of the girl were trying to make her give up, but she nevertheless persevered; Artemis would be alive to see at least another day.

After a fifth try, the boy's body tensed. Silyah felt a faint breath in her hair as she placed her ear over Artemis's heart. The menacing and name-calling might have worked after all… Artemis's body was still cold, but as betrayed by the light bleeding of the cut on his temple, his heart had started beating again.

Silyah removed the cup from the boy's chest and disconnected it from the strange, machine that had saved his life. She placed the device back in Artemis's backpack and observed the boy until she was absolutely sure that he would not die a second time.

"I swear that if you die again, I will kill you," laughed the nervous girl as she picked up Artemis and started to walk again.

* * *

In the Capitol, everyone was staring at their television screens with wide eyes and gaping mouths, even Caesar Flickerman.

Effie snapped her fingers at an Avox. "I need a cup of hot chocolate," then, with a thought directed to Haymitch Abernathy, she added: "And don't be light on liquor."

If she had been glued to the television during the Second Bloodbath, now, she wanted to step in it to get a better view.

Silyah had just found Artemis in the river and by the look on her face, something strange was going through her head. She was actually talking and arguing with herself.

"What is going on with her?" asked Caesar Flickerman, to intrigue the audience despite the fact that they could clearly see that the girl wanted to go save her fellow tribute.

Somehow, Silyah had found a way to carry Artemis through the woods. "Looks like she has some physical strength, after all," laughed Claudius. "Tell me Caesar, doesn't this remind you of something? The young female tribute trying to save the young man from her District…"

"Referring to the 74th Hunger Games, aren't you?"

"I sure am."

Suddenly, on the screen, Silyah stopped halfway through a step and shook her head. "Don't you dare dying on me again!"

The two commentators were now as speechless and intrigued as all of Panem.

"I think that this was the snowflake that caused the avalanche for the girl. Believe me, if I was another tribute, I would not dare to attack or harm her at the moment," said Claudius after a very long time. Silyah was now shouting angrily at the arena's sky.

"In this state, I am pretty sure that she could rip someone's head off," added Caesar with huge eyes, surprised to see such a nice and polite girl exploding in rage on live television.

Somewhere in a District 3 living room, Silyah's younger brother was watching her go and was actually really glad he had never seen her as angry at home. Fortunately, she was channeling her anger into trying to save a tribute rather than trying to exterminate one.

Suddenly, Effie sprung out of her chair, her alcoholic hot chocolate in hands. "Beetee do something!"

The mentor was already on his phone, wondering what he could and what he could not do.

* * *

At the Gamemaker's table, the discussions were heating up.

"The audience's response for these two is amazing! We have to help them," said Plutarch Heavensbee, trying to conclude the arguments of his peers.

The black-haired, brown-eyed Gamemaker frowned at him. "This is the Hunger Games! People die, even good showmen. Face it, Heavensbee," she snapped, her pixie-like voice taking a bitter tone.

The people around the table each tried to make their opinions known rather noisily until a telephone rang. Then, complete silence fell upon the room.

Plutarch took it and brought it to his ear. After a few seconds, he took a deep breath. "It's their mentor," he announced. "We have to have an answer for him."

The Gamemakers therefore proceeded to a quick vote… The majority of the room opted for letting Beetee take care of his tributes.

"Prepare a parachute," concluded Plutarch.

The dark-haired Gamemaker's frown turned to a scowl. Her eyes were almost shooting flames towards each of her co-workers.

Plutarch cleared up his throat. "Ms. Zito, _my_ decision is final. Get back to work."

The woman was about to object because of Plutarch's rudeness, but she held back her tongue and smiled slyly. If she let the Ice Prince survive another day, she could find a more entertaining and creative way to kill him later. She would get to watch him suffer even longer and under crueller circumstances… But she would have to get rid of the girl first…


	27. Chapter Twenty-Six, Unexpected Reasons

_**Chapter Twenty-Six, Unexpected Reasons**_

Harbor Pearl, who had killed his first tribute a few hours ago, sat down on a rock beside his ally. He had teamed up with Zinque Chart from District 11 during the very first days of training as they both had vowed to kill the Careers from 1 and 2 in order to show off in front of the Capitol viewers. Actually, for Harbor, _showing off_ was not the only reason motivating his desire to get rid of the Careers; Caskar had mocked him when he had tried to ally with him and he had refused to have the District 4 boy in his alliance.

However, as it turned out, Harbor seemed to be better off without the Careers. Both he and Zinque had established that they would not try to go after trouble, but if they could find it, they would take their chances, just like Harbor had done with the girl from 2.

The young Crelin had not been that hard to take down. Her movements had been slow and uncoordinated, as if she had been a puppet in the hands of a child. During their "fight" Harbor even wondered about the ways in which the Careers from 2 were trained…

"So, what do you think of my fish?" Harbor asked his ally to fill up the silence. The District 4 boy had been pleased to go fishing when he had received a beautiful cane from a sponsor.

"Pretty good for an arena meal," replied Zinque through a mouthful of the fish in question.

"Told you," grinned Harbor, taking a bite of his own food. "Do you have any idea as to who's left?" he wondered after a few minutes.

"Well, there's us, that's for sure."

Harbor gave the District 11 boy a look. "Seriously, that's all you came up with?"

"Who cares anyway? There are eight of us left and we were fifteen at the beginning of the day. We've only met up with Crelin today, so the possibilities are huge."

Harbor shrugged. "I guess." He really hoped that one of the cannons had been shot for Caskar. Nobody but Caskar liked Caskar.

Eventually, just after the two boys had finished their supper, the sky darkened. "Well, friend, your questions are about to be answered," said Zinque, pointing upwards towards the stars.

* * *

Silyah tucked a rebellious strand of hair away from her eyes. She had finally finished building a tent with her ever-so-useful bed sheets. This time, she had tied their corners near a wall of rock, which curved like a roof. She had even built a safe fireplace inside of the tent before gently dragging Artemis in the shelter.

Once everything was in place, she unwrapped Artemis from his blankets and rid him of his drenched clothing. She then tucked him back up in a dry sheet and hung the wet clothing near the fire for them to dry overnight.

Artemis's skin had gained back some of its original colors ever since Silyah had rescued him, but he was still as cold as an ice cube. The small flickering flame from the fire casted a yellow glow over Artemis's features, allowing Silyah to see the stark contrast between his snow-white skin, his raven-black hair and the partially dried trail of blood, which had ran river-like along his temple.

Silyah's hands went to her belt, from which she took her first aid kit. She took a disinfectant cloth from the small pocket and wiped away the blood from around Artemis's wound. She hoped that unconscious, he would not feel the sting of the product… As she cleaned the boy's cut, Silyah felt a slight twitch under her fingers. Apparently, even unconscious, he had felt that.

A cold wind then creeped its way inside of the tent, making the fire in it flicker furiously. Silyah got out of her shelter, hoping to find something that could block the draft outside. Unfortunately for her, as soon as she set a foot outside, the anthem of Panem began to play. Silyah sighed. Tonight, it would take much more time to get through the Fallen…

_Geneva Crass, District 1. Crelin Spooks, District 2. Elon Jokter, District 2. Novia Imous, District 5. Moss Alsevre, District 7. Thea Garber, District 8. Scpenser Ross, District 12._

_ Novia?_ Silyah let go of a small, strangled gasp. She had not expected her face to light up the sky so soon, but despite her sadness, another tribute's face had engraved itself in her mind… Geneva; her own victim… Silyah had a feeling that she would have to undergo a major therapy session to ever feel human again if she got back home…

Now feeling completely drained of energy and humanity, Silyah got back in the tent, having found nothing but a few twigs and strange-looking leaves to prevent the wind from entering her shelter. She would have to find another way to keep Artemis warm… The girl let out a long sigh as she took in her options and then truly hoped that her tent concealed her from any cameras. Pulling out her last bed sheet from her back pocket, she slipped beside Artemis, gently putting her ear over his heart as a way to make sure it would not stop beating. Feeling the blush rise to her cheeks, Silyah sighed once again. This type of physical contact was far from her type of thing, but she nevertheless fell asleep, protecting the Ice Prince from the winter-like cold.

Silyah woke up the next morning, her head still on Artemis's chest. The girl slowly crawled away from him as she stretched and then evaluated his state, which was considerably better than what it had been during the previous day.

"You're going to be fine," whispered Silyah with a slight smile as her gaze turned to the other side of her tent. The fire she had built during the previous night had died down, so the girl went into the process of starting another one.

After she was done, she got back to Artemis's side and watched him closely until her stomach started to rumble and she was left with no other option than to go out of her shelter. She thus concealed the tent with whatever items she could find on the ground and explored the nearby areas to try to make herself a breakfast.

Once she got back to her camp, Silyah sat beside Artemis in silence, mindlessly running a hand through his dark hair. Now, she was well rested and slightly less traumatized by the previous day's events. Her thoughts were as clear as they could ever have been, but she decided to keep them for later and let her mind wander. After a while, her gaze went from a blurry undefined point to Artemis's face. All of a sudden, she felt useless; boring and bored. She felt the urge to do something with herself. Therefore, she got up, made sure that the fire would not burn her tent down and headed for the woods…

* * *

Two and a half days and one cannon shot later, Artemis's senses slowly began to come back to him. His head was spinning in a slow waltz, rocking him back and forth between the real world and his comatose state. Eventually, the real world won and carefully, he opened his eyes.

At first, everything around him was just a blurry sketch, but then, it all started to make sense again. Well, kind of, considering that coppery brown, curly locks of hair – which were clearly not his own – were covering his chest. To add to the strangeness of it all, one of Artemis's hands seemed to be locked around something else. The boy attempted to raise an eyebrow, which only caused a flash of pain to go through his skull.

The brown locks of hair then moved slowly. Obviously, they were attached to a head…

Artemis cleared his throat and the head sprung upwards, nearly hitting itself on a rocky ceiling.

Silyah stretched her neck and blinked away the sleep from her eyes, yanking her hand from the boy's. "Artemis?" she squeaked with a creaky voice before clearing her throat and repeating his name once again with her normal tone.

"Have you been watching me sleep again?" he asked the girl. Despite the fact that his voice was as low as a whisper, his usual sarcasm still shined through his tone.

Silyah gave him a look. "So much for saving your life," she said, already feeling a rush of heat rising in her cheeks.

Artemis blinked, for the first time in his life feeling slightly confused. Had she? Then, he remembered, a flash of memories flooding him. The tribute from 2 had attacked him… "I was… dying?"

It was strange for Silyah to see Artemis so puzzled… Somehow, it gave him such an adorable look. "Of course you were!" she said with a small laugh. "You fell unconscious in a river of ice…" she added more seriously. "I brought you back with me when I found you."

"Why did you do it?" wondered Artemis. "The most logical behavior would have been to… Let me die and have one less opponent to –"

Artemis's voice trailed off. _Why?_ That was such a good question… Many things in life were sometimes reasonless or simply happened right on the spot, just like the event that was about to occur…

In a fast movement driven by a strange impulse, the Silyah leaned down, letting her lips meet with Artemis's.

At this exact moment, everything that might have been going on through the boy's brain froze abruptly without him even knowing what shocked him the most; the fact that a girl was kissing him, the fact that the said girl was Silyah, or the fact that he was responding to it, locking his hand around her shoulders.

After realizing what she had just done, Silyah broke the kiss. The look on her face was a mirror image of the one on Artemis's; shocked, confused, stunned and yet, hidden in her eyes was a small hint of satisfaction.

"Oh… Well… I…" Artemis was more or less out of words, yet another thing that did not happen regularly. "I guess that it is a fair reason."

"Hum… Ugh… Was it?"

"Well," Artemis actually bit his lip. "Wouldn't you say it was?"

* * *

From the Training Center, Peeta and Katniss could see what was being displayed on every single television screen in Panem.

"Doesn't it look familiar to you?" asked _the boy with the bread _to his fiancé, pointing at the screen on which Silyah Natho and Artemis Fowl were sharing a kiss.

_The girl who was on fire_ turned to Peeta. "I know… When we were in the caves," she nodded. Peeta sighed. "Not to mention that _she _is the one who saved _him_," she grinned. "Ah, boys nowadays."

"Very funny Ms. Everdeen."

Katniss suppressed a bittersweet chuckle; _boys nowadays indeed, _the man leading their country was so much of a coward, he preferred to send 23 kids to their deaths rather than to face "his people."

"What a way to break the ice," said Peeta, shaking his head with a slight smile when he saw the two tribute's expression as their lips parted.

"I have to admit that _the Ice Prince _was a very suiting nickname for the boy considering what he went through," Katniss pointed out after Caesar Flickerman mentioned his sobriquet. "Not to mention that he had a _Clockwork Angel_ to keep an eye on him."

Now that the two tributes from 12 were dead, Katniss and Peeta had somewhat fallen for the District 3 participants… And they were certainly not the only ones.

* * *

Beetee's face was deep down in his palm. Of course he was glad that his two tributes were in the top seven, but now, things were getting really bad. They were actually kissing! _'Do not get too close to each other,' I told them, _thought the man, pacing in front of his screen. "I knew it would come down to this one day," he mumbled, not being heard by anyone but him due to Xarone and Ilranor's delighted squeals.

"Oh, come on Beetee! It's not as if you did not know that this would happen," Effie rolled her eyes. "You have to admit that they look wonderful together; sponsor money will start to flow like chocolate in the buffet's fountain."

The mentor grunted as Ilranor tried to remove his face from his palm. "Think about the consequences on the other's sanity if one of them was to die! We have already seen a sample of them from Silyah…" said the man.

Reluctantly, Effie nodded, but deep down, even if she was a woman of the Capitol, the escort nourished the hope of Silyah and Artemis finding their own "nightlocks," their own way of both getting back to safety…

From behind the camera, Caesar Flickerman still commented the scene. "All right, who did not see that one coming?" he asked his viewers with a huge pure white smile

This time, his rhetorical question had a very clear answer; everybody but two persons in Panem had seen this event coming, those two being none other than Artemis and Silyah.

* * *

There was no doubt about it, Artemis's heart was working and beating pretty efficiently once again. His mind however was now in a strange state, taking way too much time to register what had just happened. The boy gently shook his head, deciding to focus on his location and state instead of the strange feeling inside of him…

He was in a tent built by Silyah, most likely concealed from enemies and he actually felt quite warm… But then again, he was not too sure if it was because of the _latest event_ or because of the blanket wrapped around him. Then, Artemis realized something; the fabric Silyah had tucked him into appeared to be in direct contact with his pale skin.

"Silyah?" he began, rising an eyebrow. "Did you, by any chance… Strip me while I was unconscious?"

From one awkward moment to another, it seemed so. Silyah felt her face getting as red as a beetroot as she reached for Artemis's clothes near the fire. "I had to make them dry," she nearly stuttered. "You would have frozen to death…" She handed him his outfit and his backpack.

"Thank you," he replied, slightly alarmed yet still understanding that Silyah's process had been very logical. "Now, would you mind turning? Or have you already see it all?"

It was now Silyah's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Do you really think that it was my intention to strip you just to look at you? I had other things on my mind, _Mr. Fowl_; things like making sure your heart would not give up again," she said, nevertheless turning around as Artemis corrected her "Mr. Fowl."

"So," began Artemis after getting dressed – it was always a good thing to have clothes on when being in the Hunger Games, or in any televised event for that matter. "For how long have I been unconscious?"

"I've been watching you sleep for two days and a half."

"Ah, some rather enjoyable days for you then?"

"Let's just say that after a while I began to keep myself busy… Which reminds me; do you want sushi?" she asked him, hearing his stomach complain. She presented him a plate of fish wrapped in some type of edible algae. "I went fishing and got creative," she explained.

Artemis gave her a look, stretching the skin around the wound on his temple. This girl was full of surprises.

"Suit yourself," she said, sitting beside him for an improvised dinner. "I filled you water bottle, by the way," she mentioned between two bites, handing him the item in question.

Artemis nodded his approval and took a long and well-deserved gulp of the liquid, already starting to feel better than when he had just woken up. Speaking of… "May I know what has been going on in the 'land of the living' while I was… missing in action?"

"Well, for one thing, we are now seven in this whole arena… The day you were attacked, Moss, Thea, Scpenser, Novia, Crelin and Elon passed away and…" Silyah's shoulder sank. "I killed Geneva… Then Acassie died yesterday afternoon."

Artemis looked at her. _She _had been the one who had gotten rid of Geneva? For some reason, the boy felt really strange. Of course, he had not cared for Geneva, but the girl had been under his _mesmer _when she had reached the lake and _he_ had told her to kill whomever came her way and, as it turned out, Silyah had been that "whomever," so technically he had almost –

"Are you alright?" Silyah resisted again the urge to take Artemis's pulse, seeing his complexion get a few shades paler.

"Yes. I…" Artemis swallowed, his throat suddenly feeling very dry. Was that how guilt felt like? "I never expected you to do such do such a thing…" he lied.

"Don't worry," she said in a small voice. "I never intended to do _such a thing_. I only protected myself." Was the boy afraid she would kill him? Yet another flashback from her nightmare attacked Silyah.

Artemis took another sip of water. He would have to change the subject once again. "You said that you kept yourself busy… What exactly have you done during those past two days?"

"I think that for the most part, I was being excessive…" Silyah looked around the tent. She had found clay by the river, which she had followed, and had made various "normal" objects from it. Plates, utensils, bowls, one hair comb and even a vase in which a few purple flowers had been placed… "Then also I tried to hunt, remembered that I was really bad at it and decided to gather edible plants and attempt fishing instead," she said, raising the corner of her tent. Outside was an extensive collection of weapons made of wood and stone including many spears, as well as two bows complemented by about twenty arrows each.

Artemis had a hard time not to blink. "You've been busy, indeed."

Silyah retrieved the bow that laid the closest to her shelter. "This one is for you… I hope you don't mind; I used your tool kit to make some of them."

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Why so many weapons?"

"Well, I thought they would be more useful than a flower vase."

Artemis turned his gaze to the vase in question and studied the purple plants in it. "What are these flowers?" he asked. "I have never seen this type before…"

"They are not dangerous, that I am sure of," smiled Silyah. "I think that they are a creation from the Capitol's botanists who probably wanted to make them trend." She took one of them in her hands. "I took the liberty of naming them _aremèsias._"

"You named a flower after me?" asked Artemis slowly, his infamous vampire smirk beginning to stretch across his lips.

"We could say that," nodded Silyah awkwardly.

"Flattering."

Silyah gave the boy a sideways smile and then, turned her attention to a beeping sound outside of her tent. She opened one corner of her shelter once again. Artemis noted that the ground was now almost free of snow as he watched a silver parachute make its way down the sky. Silyah took the falling object and brought it inside her tent. As usual, she read the note attached to the package, though this time she did so out loud for Artemis to hear. "Take care," the card said. Oddly enough, it had not been signed by Beetee… Silyah's smiled turned into a wide grin as she read the name that had replaced their mentor's. Effie Trinket.

"No way…" whispered Silyah as she opened the box. In it was an ankle brace for Artemis's foot, but it was not all. What had truly warmed up Silyah's expression were the two small thermos that came along the package. One of them was labeled _"cream nose,"_ the other, "_mustache boy."_

"I believe that this is for you," said Silyah with a wink, giving Artemis the _mustache boy_ cup and the ankle brace.

Artemis did not laugh, but he smiled one of his rare genuine smiles. So apparently, Effie was also full of surprises.

"Thank you Effie," beamed Silyah.

Artemis laced the brace around his injured ankle and leaned back, his warm cup between his hands. "The chances of us making it through this are perhaps increasing…" said the boy. "We are still alive, after all."

Silyah drank from her hot chocolate, making a point of getting some cream on the tip of her nose and sighed. From then on, she promised herself that she would do everything she could to keep Artemis safe and sound. "We'll have to take things a day at the time…"

Artemis removed the cream from the girl's nose, just as he had done a while ago. "Well, I am sorry, but you will certainly not see me sporting a mustache today."

"How disappointing," laughed the girl.

With their cups of hot chocolate in hands, Artemis and Silyah were now back to what they had been before the arena; two tributes with hopes and shy smiles.


	28. Chapter Twenty-Seven, Worse to Better

_**Chapter Twenty-Seven, Worse to Better**_

Caskar wandered in the woods, alone. Not that he had had much of a choice in that matter… No, "choice" was not exactly the right word… Assuming that his alliance had decided to part ways when he had ordered them to split up, that _he _had never managed to find Artemis and that he had let him escape more than once, one could say that it was Caskar's _fault_ if he no longer had a group at his command. However, despite the fact that he had no one to give orders to, Caskar was still armed with his daggers and the two strong arms that wielded them. He even had one more weapon since a sponsor had sent him a beautifully sharp and extremely deadly knife. Too bad no tributes were around for the District 1 boy to try his new toy.

The young man dug a hand in his pocket and reached for a snack bar. In a momentary surprise, he realized that the one he had caught between his fingers was the only one left from his stash. _The only one left,_ he thought with a sneer-like grin, _that will be how they will describe me after I get out of this arena._ That would be his philosophy from now on. After all, victory was almost already within his reach.

Caskar briefly thought about who remained. There was Kalheb, who would not be too much of a problem to fight with a tad of blackmailing, that idiotic Harbor, who had thought himself worthy of the alliance during his miserable training days, then Zinque, who was probably hiding like a coward in a corner of the arena and the last three were none other than Caskar's original kill list; Silver Canemon, Artemis Fowl and Silyah Natho. He did not care much about the District 3 girl; she would be an easy kill and so would be Artemis for that matter, but the fact was that Caskar much more fun destroying him than her! Silver, on the other hand, would be a challenge, but that also meant that by killing her, the District 1 boy would both feel satisfied and would improve his Hunger Games reputation.

As he mused about his future victims, Caskar kept on walking in the woods and munched on his snack bar. Wasn't it for the weapons he carried, one could have mistaken him for a hiker taking a stroll in his favorite forest. _An extremely long stroll,_ thought Caskar. Truth to be told, the Games had gotten kind of boring for him…

Suddenly, the young man heard the sound of leaves ruffling coming from the tree above him. Quickly, he looked up. On the branch closest to his head was a squirrel. Its big black eyes were staring straight into Caskar's.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" he muttered to the creature, which was stuffing acorns in his big puffy cheeks. "Got a problem?" he barked.

The squirrel seemed to take a moment to shrug and then gracefully ran up the tree.

"Hey!" Caskar began to climb the tall oak, being absolutely less graceful than the small creature he was chasing. "Keep on laughing," spat the boy, pulling out his hunting dagger as soon as he knew that both of his feet were balanced on the tree's branches. Then, being as fast as he could, he grabbed the squirrel by its tail. Clearly, it did not please the animal, which begin to scratch and bite Caskar's fist. However, the squirrel's desperate fight did not last for too long… Going deliberately slowly, the District 1 boy plunged his dagger into the rodent's neck and cut his head off. His trophy now in hand, Caskar jumped down from the oak. "You, sir, will be my dinner," he told his prey.

"So, _this_ is what it means to _go nuts_, uh?"

Caskar turned his head in one sharp movement, looking in every direction. In confusion, he brandished his squirrel rather than his dagger in front of him. When he noticed his mistake, he corrected his position and spotted his new opponent as she walked in his direction.

Silver Canemon burst in laughter as she got closer to Caskar. "Oh, dear!" she gasped. "You've _totally_ lost it, haven't you?"

How did the girl get here with such timing? Caskar tried to come up with a quick witty reply to hide his surprise. "Lost it, no. I'm not the one who _lost it_," he said, kicking his squirrel's severed head towards her. "Hum… I wonder what you would look like without a head, Canemon." He tossed the rest of the squirrel away. "Want to try that look?" He pulled out a second dagger from his pockets.

Now, both Silver and Caskar had found one of the opponents they had been looking for.

"You know, I've been hunting you down since the major killing spree," said Silver, matter-of-factly.

Caskar almost looked flattered. "Then I won't disappoint you." Slowly, Caskar walked until he was within Silver's reach. "Do your worst," he dared he before raising his arm and attempting to slash one of the girl's limbs with his dagger.

Silver moved swiftly, her hands finding her blow cane in a matter of seconds.

Caskar swore as the girl from 6 dodged his attacks.

"Hey, Caskar," said Silver, her voice strangely sweet as she hit the side of his head with her blow cane.

Caskar shook his head and cleared his throat. "We're in the middle of a fight, could you please shut up?" he spat through gritted teeth with his usual sarcastic tone.

Silver shot him a sneer. "And I thought that you couldn't make yourself into more of a Cato wannabe."

_Oh, that is it!_ Caskar dived on Silver, aiming at her neck, but only managing to scratch her cheek.

"Bad Caskar!" growled the District 6 girl as though Caskar had been a disobedient dog. "Bad!" Once again, she hit him with her cane, this time fueling her strength with her fury.

Caskar swore one more time, hearing the sound of bones cracking as he fell on the ground. Had a girl just knocked him down? The tall boy coughed. This fight was not over yet! He tried to get up, but his violently spinning head prevented him to do so. When he finally managed to look up, Silver was nowhere to be seen… And so was the stupid squirrel.

* * *

With Silyah's hand supporting his back, Artemis had succeeded in the task of sitting up. After days of stillness, it felt odd to move once again. He was currently wearing the ankle brace he had received earlier and was in the process of delicately stretching his limbs. Silyah had made the boy a crutch using two of her spears and another piece of wood. She wanted him to try to walk again even though Artemis was quite sceptic about the improvised crutch.

"You have two choices, use the crutch to try to walk on your own, or use me to support yourself." It was not as if she would let him fall; she would catch him. It would be like a payback for every time she almost fell face first in front of him.

Artemis gave her a "_humpf_" and got out of the tent.

Silyah followed him closely. He was already getting better, judging by his humor. He actually he truly did seem to have taken back some strength. He had slowly got up and had walked about four meters with the crutch. A confident grin had even appeared on his face.

"See, it's not hospital-worthy, but that crutch is as good as any," said the brown-haired girl, still following him.

Artemis resisted against the urge to give her an annoyed look. So did Silyah.

After a few more meters, Artemis's assurance had grown and he therefore decided to try walking without the support of Silyah's creation. The ground was covered in damp leaves and soft earth, allowing Artemis to place his left foot on a cushion-like substance rather than a hard soil. The boy took some careful steps, trying not to put too much weight on his sprained ankle.

"Do you think you would be ready to move our camp?" wondered Silyah.

The boy's reply came in a form that required no words. Artemis's foot had suddenly decided to stop cooperating and now, he was tipping over Silyah, taking her aback.

Now both on the ground, Silyah could not help but laugh at Artemis's expression. At least she had absorbed most of the shock when he fell on her. "This time it's not my fault!" she grinned.

"For once," replied Artemis with a slightly humorous tone.

The girl shook some leaves from her hair and clothes before getting up and offering her hand to Artemis. "No damage?" she asked.

"Nothing that was not there before."

"Good," she whispered, pulling him back up on his feet, well, foot considering that Artemis had to put all his weight on his right leg.

"I think that we should spend one more night here and move tomorrow morning…" conluded Silyah as she dug one of her hands in her coat's pocket, keeping the other one near Artemis, just in case.

"What happed to your arm?"

Silyah gave Artemis a questioning look. Then, she saw her forearm. A patchwork-like pattern of blue, purple and yellowing flesh had formed on her usually pale skin. The girl scanned her memory, trying to recall how her arm became so badly bruised… She had been barely conscious of her doings when she had crossed the bridge of ice after the Second Bloodbath, but she did recall having fallen multiple times on it. "That's… That probably happened after I thought I had seen you die," she said, uneasy. "I was not really paying attention to where I was stepping."

Artemis frowned.

"Don't worry about it, it can't be changed anyway," she said, sending him a comforting smile.

By the camp was a big flat rock on which Silyah sat. She took a spear at her feet and pulled out a knife from her equipment. This had become one of her daily habits; spear sharpening.

Artemis sat down beside her.

"So… What did you do since you got in the arena?" Silyah asked Artemis casually as she sharpened the tip of her favorite weapon.

"I lived in a cave," replied Artemis with a slight shiver.

"That is a very ancient way of living," grinned the District 3 girl.

"I can't but agree."

"I saw that you had made some type of machine… What is it for?"

"Oh, you mean the box made of copper and stone? It is a simple device that can heat up rocks and replace a fire to cook food while remaining unnoticed." He avoided mentioning his electro-net.

"Hum… Clever… And very useful… For your information, after a small upgrade, I discovered that it could also be used to reanimate someone." She had spoken the last sentence rather quickly.

"How would you – Oh…" The answer to his question hit Artemis rather abruptly. Silyah had used it to revive him.

"You scared me so bad when you died…"

"Well, it's not like I chose to die," Artemis nearly snapped at her, not understanding the strange feeling building up inside of him.

"Woah, relax. Be glad I was worried for _you_."

"I know," Artemis's voice softened as his head turned away from her. "I'm glad you did."

The next realization struck Silyah as sharply as a spear. As much as she hated to admit it now, she understood… "Silver was right," she muttered under her breath.

"Beg you pardon?" Artemis moved his mismatching eyes back to her.

Silyah shook her head. "Nothing…"

"Nothing is nothing; this is certainly _something_."

"Don't bother with it, it's not important. It's just a small personal defeat."

Artemis sighed. The girl would tell him sooner or later.

Silyah looked down on herself, catching a glimpse of a chain dangling around her neck. "Oh, while I'm thinking about it…" She unclasped the necklace and gave it to Artemis. "I didn't really know where to put it no to lose it so… There you go."

Artemis looked at the small round item at the end of the chain. "Thank you," he said as he tied it around his neck, securing his golden coin where it belonged.

"Just out of curiosity, may I know the story behind your token? I've never seen anything as such in our District."

Artemis's hand moved to the coin Holly had given him. Could he tell Silyah?

The girl's greyish blue eyes followed the pendant, expecting a simple answer.

"It's complex…"

"Well, for one thing, I recognize those symbols on it. You taught them to me on the train and they are the very reason as to why I came to your rescue in time."

Artemis's stare met hers. His eyes looked centuries away, just as they had during one of their conversations in the train to the Capitol. "It was given to me some years ago by someone for whom I have an immense respect as a reminder of the spark of decency I have…"

Silyah did not know what to reply to that. She was aware that there was much more than the little she knew about Artemis's story, but she simply acknowledged this new piece of information.

The boy sighed, looking into space as Silyah's gaze traveled from him to the weapons on the ground.

"Do you want to try your bow?" she asked.

"I don't see why not."

Silyah disappeared in her tent and came back with Artemis's wooden bow. She retrieved a few arrows, as well as her homemade weapon from the ground before heading back to the rock on which Artemis was still seated.

"Let's see if you can teach me something about these," smirked Silyah.

"You are well aware that I am just as bad as you when it comes to this."

"That only means that we can't get any worst."

Artemis actually let out a small chuckle and it was on that note that the two worst archers in this year's Hunger Games notched arrows on their bows and shot nowhere in particular until they had to pick their projectiles back up.


	29. Chapter Twenty-Eight, B

_**Chapter Twenty-Eight, "B"**_

At the end of the night, all of the archery practice had finally paid off for Artemis and Silyah. Back in their tent, the two tributes were eating a rabbit, which they had either caught by accident, or by an extensive amount of luck. For the rabbit, it had been an unfortunate happening, but for the District 3 team, the meat and the nutrients the animal offered had turned out to be a true gift.

Just as they finished up their meals, a familiar electronic tune faintly hummed from outside of Silyah and Artemis's bed sheet shelter. The dark-haired boy lifted one corner of the tent just as a silver parachute lazily made its way down the sky before landing a few centimeters away from the young man. Artemis reached outside, retrieved the small box and handed it to Silyah as he undertook the task of turning off and picking up his cooking machine.

"You seemed ready for dessert," the girl read from the small card that came along the small package. "It's signed by '_B,_'" she added as Artemis sat a little closer to her. Silyah opened the sturdy metallic container, eager to see what they had received.

Artemis immediately frowned at the sight of the box's content.

"Truffles?" wondered Silyah. She had not been too surprised by Artemis's reaction; he had once told her that he despised those little sweets. The girl therefore, took one between her fingers. She would certainly not turn down a Capitol-worthy dessert after days of edible plants and meager amounts of meat.

"No!" Artemis's voice suddenly pierced the air as the truffle was getting dangerously close to Silyah's lips. "_Do not_ eat _any_ of those."

The girl hand froze in front of her. "Huh?" She stared at Artemis with eyes that betrayed an ounce of fear and a slight guilt.

"They are poisonous," explained Artemis as a matter of fact.

"How do you know that?" Despite her questioning, something in the young man's tone had made Silyah toss the truffle right back into its box.

"That is low, even for you," murmured Artemis, now speaking in Gnommish as he looked down towards the silver parachute.

"Artemis?" For the first time since the boy had awakened, Silyah was more worried about his mental health than his physical one. Maybe he was suffering from a post-traumatic shock…

Artemis turned his gaze back to the female tribute of District 3, a serious look appearing in his mismatching eyes. He had just taken a grave decision, but what he was about to say had to be revealed one day or another… "I think that it is time for you to know the truth about me, Silyah," he said, still using the tongue of the fairies, not wanting anyone in Panem to grasp a single word of the next sentences he would speak.

Silyah read through Artemis's stare, understanding the importance of the dilemma he was facing, but also knowing that all of the questions she might have had about him would soon find a logical clarification.

"I don't know if you have noticed already, but… I am not from this era."

Silyah took a few seconds to register the information. "Well, that would explain many things," she said speaking in the tongue Artemis had taught her.

Artemis sighed. "What gave me away?" It amazed him to see that the girl had not even flinch at the news.

"Your knowledge of the past, your slight confusion about the Games and perhaps the fact that you seemed to be unaware of who Katniss Everdeen was… Amongst other things…" She paused. "But I kept those things to myself."

Artemis gave the girl a bittersweet smirk. "I only knew what I had been told in school about this country; I was doing my best to appear aware of your modern History. In fact, I arrived in this time three days before the Reaping… Had I known what would have happened to me, I would have never taken the chance to travel to the future and neither would I have hacked District 3's computer system to add myself as a citizen…"

"Why did you add yourself to the system exactly? Why didn't you just… get back to your own time?" frowned Silyah, not exactly enjoying the thought of being a tribute without Artemis.

"Somehow, the time tunnel that allowed me to travel between eras refused to reopen itself when I tried to get back, which I did multiple times. Somehow, I remained stuck here… Most likely the work of the very person who sent us those truffles."

"The black-haired Gamemaker…" whispered Silyah. She had noticed how the woman had stared at Artemis during the parade and how he had responded when he saw her. "So you are not the only human to have traveled through time?"

"Even though you are right about who my enemy is, I can assure you that she is not a human being. Or at least, in my time, she was not."

Silyah blinked, this time truly needing an instant to let Artemis's last sentence sink in. "Not human?"

"Indeed," Artemis took a deep breath. "She is, or used to be, a pixie."

_ A pixie?_ Silyah briefly wondered if she should laugh or take the boy's temperature, but somehow, she felt like believing Artemis more than anything else.

Artemis looked at her as she nodded slowly. "Go on…" she told him.

"I guess that I should take it from the beginning then?"

Silyah's nods got faster. "Yes, please."

Once again, Artemis breathed deeply. "Everything basically started when I was 11… My father had left for a business deal in Russia; an expedition that could have ended up being fatal for him. During his trip, the ship he was traveling in was sunk and my father was declared dead."

The girl made a sound of acknowledgment, but raised one of her fingers in the air. "Wait… Where do you come from exactly?"

"Twenty-first century, Ireland."

Silyah murmured a "_wow_" before letting Artemis continue his story.

"After my father's proclaimed death, I was left with no choice but to take over my family's _darker business_ as my mother lost her mind from the shock of losing her husband."

In a way, the District 3 girl could understand how Artemis's mother might have felt, though she kept that in her head.

"Her condition had got to the point where she could not even recognize me anymore…"

Awkwardly, Silyah brushed Artemis's hand with her own, seeing the brief flash of pain hidden in his eyes.

"So I kidnapped a fairy."

"What?" Silyah raised both her eyebrows.

"I know, I know… I was quite different back then and the desperate situation had called for a desperate remedy."

"I guess I can see that."

Artemis sighed. "So far you are taking this story very well, I must say; you have not screamed nor ran away yet."

"I don't see why I should _not_ take this well, I mean, I'm a girl who comes from an era during which people believe that watching twenty-three kids die on live television is great fun."

"You've got a point there." Artemis ran a hand through his messy raven hair. "So, the elf I abducted was far from being a harmless creature… She was Holly Short, an officer of the LEP and her kidnapping had a lot more repercussions than what anyone could have expected."

"LEP?"

"Yes, the Lower Elements Police," said Artemis before engulfing himself in the retelling of his adventures. He provided Silyah with a few details about himself and the People, the enemies he had faced and the allies he had made during the past years of his life as the girl simply remained quietly beside him, taking in each of his words.

"So, Holly Short… She's the one who gave you that coin, am I correct?" wondered Silyah when Artemis's tale ended.

"Yes," murmured the boy. "And my left eye."

Silyah starred in the eye in question, trying to picture Artemis with two blue irises. "How did she give you her eye exactly?" asked Silyah, only slightly concerned by the strangeness of her question.

"We were time traveling," said Artemis. "Things got a little mixed up between dimensions."

"That's how you got your magic."

"Yes," confirmed the boy. "Speaking of, did you notice something odd about Geneva when you… fought her?"

Silyah knew that Artemis had meant "_killed her_" and she mentally praised him for his choice of words as she answered his question. "She was way too joyful and way too slow… A little bit like Elon and Crelin after their meeting with the Gamemakers…"

"Well, that was because I had used my _mesmer_ on her…" confessed the boy. Artemis had almost expected Silyah to slap him like Holly would have done but instead, she smiled with a relieved expression.

"Thank goodness you did so! She would have killed me off so quickly if you had not, hum, _mesmerized_ her." Silyah was not too sure of her use of the word "_mesmer_."

Artemis let out another sigh. "But it was my fault if she attacked you in the first place."

Silyah frowned, but decided that it did not matter. "The most important thing right now is that we are both alive and both have each other to keep on surviving." The girl's eyes went from Artemis's to the silver parachute in front of her. "I still have one question though… You did not tell me how you knew that the truffles were poisoned."

"They were sent by Opal Koboi; she hates me and clearly, after your earlier… _surprising move_," he said, referring to their kiss, "she will most likely try to weaken me by killing you."

"With truffles? When she has a whole arena at her disposal?"

"She has a soft spot for those sweets and I once used them against her. Killing you with a truffle would be a payback for that event."

"I see…" Silyah placed the box of truffles in Artemis's backpack. She had learned from earlier Hunger Games that sometimes, a quick way to end a life could be useful and since Artemis had revealed himself to her, a plan had started to build up in the girl's head.

"Well, I guess that this is all," said Artemis with another sigh, spinning his coin between his inverted fingers.

"If you want my opinion, that was quite a lot of information."

"Yes, fascinating, my life, isn't is? A pity it might end soon." Artemis gave a lifeless chuckle. "What about your life Ms. Natho? You know too much about me to remain a mystery. We must be on equal grounds."

"Me?" Silyah wondered how her life could compete with Artemis Fowl's adventures. "There is nothing fascinating about me… I am just the combination of everything I know." She sighed nostalgically as Artemis's gaze seemed to entice her to go on. "I lived in District 3 my whole life, though my mother originally came from 8. I know about sewing because of her side of the family while my father's side taught me about electronics. When I started school, I was already an advanced student and quickly became known as a teacher's pet." She toyed with the bracelet around her wrist as she spoke, noticing how loose it had become since she had arrived in the arena. "So, I grew up both as an artist and as a scientist, which simply resulted in my classmates sticking labels on me as I got older. Let's just say that when people talked to me, it was usually to ask me a favor because they knew that I was unable to be mean and refuse… Apart from that, not much went on in my life. I think that the most extraordinary things I have ever done were my crazy projects such as that one time when I got to sew and sell some electronic fashion accessories to help my parents with the school fees they had to pay for my brother and I." Silyah glanced to Artemis, who had remained immobile and silent as she had talked. "That's my life," finally shrugged the girl. "Not as exciting as yours, right?" she smiled.

"Oh, I don't know about that…"

The anthem of Panem began to play from outside the tent, though no one would be featured on the sky tonight.

Silyah let out a yawn. "Bed time?"

Artemis nodded. "Yes, why not."

The District 3 girl checked the fire one last time and took two bed sheets from the floor of her tent, crumpling one into a pillow since she would not have to check on Artemis's heartbeat tonight. "Good night, Ice Prince."

"Good night Silyah."

* * *

Earlier that day, Kalheb Frotz could have been seen wandering alone in the woods. He had never really cared for Geneva – she had only been a mere distraction for him – but being alone felt so odd to the boy. Back in District 9, he had been the center of attention of many ladies and even a few boys… Now, he was on his own.

The young man sat on a fallen tree trunk, making sure that his only company, the audience, would have a nice view of his exposed chest. He ran a hand through his dark curls, once again exploiting his muscles. He then gave a crooked smile to his Capitol and District fans as he pulled out a fruit from his pocket, undertaking the task of eating it slowly. He had been so conscious of every single one of his actions that he was not even surprised when a silver parachute fell to his feet. Once again, he smiled seductively at his audience. If he had nobody to flirt with, he would charm the public, he thought.

The dark-haired man opened the parachute's box carefully, his smile fading into a serious mask as he examined its content.

"_Who killed Geneva?"_

The card he had received had been printed like a riddle. Kalheb had to turn it upside down to see the question's answer.

"_Artemis and Silyah."_

The card was signed with a simple "B" and for daggers accompanied it…

"Interesting…" murmured the District 9 boy. "Thank you," he smiled at the sky for a third time.

Kalheb placed the knives with the rest of his equipment and went back to eating his fruit. Later on, he would give the audience a show, he decided. He would pretend to have cared about his District 1 lover and go kill either Artemis or Silyah, or maybe both of them. It was a shame thought… They seemed like nice people. _Oh well, _thought Kalheb as he dumped the heart of his fruit on the ground and leaned back on his tree.

Suddenly, a flash of pain went through the strong boy's wrist as though it was burning in an open flame. Kalheb bolted up and raised his arm, furiously trying to shake away the pearly white snake that had sunk his teeth into his flesh.

After a little struggle, the reptile finally fell to the ground and disappeared into the forest.


	30. Chapter Twenty-Nine, The Waterfall

_**Chapter Twenty-Nine, The Waterfall**_

A warm wind softly blew some dried leaves inside of Silyah and Artemis's tent as the young man lying in it slowly opened his eyes after what had most likely been his first good night of sleep since the Games had started. The boy rolled on his side, realizing that his arm was now tangled up with Silyah's. Artemis raised an eyebrow, not remembering having her arm around his when they had both gotten to sleep.

"Silyah? Time to wake up," he said, gently shaking her shoulder.

The girl mumbled something inaudible and tried to move around only to be stopped by her arm, which was still under Artemis's. Yawning, she opened one of her eyes to see a raven-haired boy staring at her.

"Your snoring could have brought back the dead," stated Artemis, a mischievous grin playing across his lips.

Silyah caught a glimpse of their intertwined arms and retrieved her's back. "Hey, I don't snore!" She furrowed her brows. Did she? After all, she had never heard herself sleep.

Artemis's grin turned into his signature smirk. "What proofs do you have to support that statement?"

Silyah grunted.

"Grumpy in the morning, aren't you?"

The girl blinked. Had Artemis actually quoted something she had told him before? She sighed. "No… Of course not," she said, smiling despite the slight sarcasm in her voice.

"You know, combining such a smile with sarcasm only takes away the power of the said sarcasm."

Silyah shook her head slowly, letting go of a chuckle. Artemis was most definitely back in shape. "Well, I wish you good morning too, _handsome_." She knew what effects her last word would have on Artemis's mind and she was rather enjoying it.

The boy did his best to ignore her, as well as the burning feeling in his cheeks. "Shall we get some breakfast?"

"We might as well," answered the District 3 girl, sitting up and stretching her slightly creaky bones. "But first, we will have to pack everything up." She crawled out of her tent, greeted outside by a sweet gush of wind.

Artemis ran a hand though his hair as he followed Silyah, noticing that it had gotten quite ruffled up during the night.

After a deep breath, Silyah got to work, beginning by untying the bed sheet she had used as a roof from the trees to which it was attached. She folded and cleaned up every single one of her bed sheets as thoroughly as she could and tucked them in her coat's back pocket. She then gathered her spears while Artemis took care of the equipment he owned, as well as the bows and arrows.

"All set?" Silyah asked Artemis as she put her hips-long hair in a messy bun.

"Yes."

"Then, let's go," she said, pointing her thumb towards the left which, from where she stood, was away from the dreadful section of the river where the Second Bloodbath had occurred.

Artemis gave her a short nod. He was not too sure of where he was located in the arena, so he could not do much except follow Silyah, who only had a brief knowledge of where she was heading.

At one point, the young woman stopped, a wide smile spreading on her face. "Jackpot," she said, pointing to a small meadow-like area.

Artemis's stare followed her finger. It was aimed towards a tree filled with dark violet oval-shaped fruits.

"I know these, I've seen them in training," explained Silyah.

"We have them in the past too, you know," said Artemis in Gnommish, giving her a shy wink as he walked closer to the tree.

Silyah followed him, trying to get hold of a fruit, stretching her arm as high as she could. The closest branch was still too far from her. Stubbornly, she tried to jump… She was a few inches too short.

"Need help, miss?" asked Artemis, his smirk still playing across his lips.

Silyah sent the boy back his smug expression and lowered the tree's branch using one of her spears. The girl looked absolutely triumphant; up to date, this was her biggest victory against a tree.

Artemis almost looked impressed.

"Suit yourself," she said, wiggling the plum tree's branch in his direction.

Artemis was about to grab a fruit when Silyah let go of the branch. At first, her laughter filled the air, but it only lasted until a plum landed right on the top of her head.

Even thought it was an extremely rare occurrence, Artemis Fowl began to laugh.

Apparently, Silyah had no way of defeating a tree. The girl vaguely felt like kicking it, but the sound of Artemis's laughter prevented her to do so. He had such a nice laughter. I was a shame he barely used it. Shrugging off the fact that she was the source of his chuckling, Silyah bent down, picked up the plum that had attacked her and took a bite out of it.

"Oh, you killed it," murmured Artemis. "So brutal."

The girl rolled her eyes and kept on eating, the shadow of a smile at the corner of her lips betraying her amusement.

Artemis smirked once again, picking up a fallen plum. It had a rather stunning shade of purple; almost too nice to be natural, a like that flower Silyah had shown him… The _aremèsia_; that was how she had called it… Speaking of, Artemis could recognize the flower's smell in the air. He looked around, discovering about two dozens of them just beside the plum tree. Fresh dewdrops were dripping along their violet petals, leaving a faint foamy trail behind them… _Interesting, _thought Artemis, taking a few for further inspection.

"I think that we are close to waterfalls," mentioned Silyah, hearing the distant noise of water flowing nearby. "Do you want to go explore?"

"I don't see any better thing to do."

The young woman instructed Artemis to turn around and unzipped his backpack, putting two handfuls of plums in it before letting her ears guide her through the forest.

About ten meters away from the plum tree was indeed a waterfall. It was considerably smaller than the ones around the Cornucopia, being approximately five meters tall by seven meters wide. Artemis and Silyah were standing at the bottom of it, watching the water go down into a river.

"Do you mind if we stop here for a quick bath?" Silyah shivered of disgust, suddenly remembering the bug-filled bridge she had crossed with Silver and Novia. A bath would indeed be extremely welcomed after having crawled in insects, blood-covered snow and dirt.

"No, absolutely not. I might join in."

"Ahem… All right." Silyah gave Artemis a peculiar look. She did not particularly at peace with being underdressed, let alone the fact that Artemis would see her… And that she would see him… But now was certainly not the time to be shy.

Artemis smirked at her expression, mostly to hide the fact that thoughts similar to Silyah's were going through his mind. The boy then took his jacket off, the t-shirt underneath quickly following it.

Silyah's whole face turned the brightest red as she took off her own coat.

Artemis gave her a sideways glance, seeing her complexion. "Something wrong?"

The girl tried to avoid looking at him, not being used to this kind of situation. Nevertheless, she shook her head. "Nothing wrong, but don't you have any… shame, for lack of better words?"

"Shame?" Artemis raised an eyebrow. "You're the one who strips people and watch them sleep." Now it was clear that Silyah's face could not get any redder…

The girl walked to the edge of the river and took off her boots before reluctantly removing the rest of her clothing, stopping at her undergarments. Complete nudity was a line she was not willing to cross on television. The female tribute then looked behind her shoulder. "Are you coming?" _Oh dear,_ _this is such an awkward moment,_ she thought as she quickly turned around, realizing that the first time she ever saw a partially unclothed boy happened in an arena in which they were fighting to survive.

Artemis's face had taken the same shade as Silyah's despite the fact that he had also judged best to keep his undergarments on. "Do me a favor and do not come up with any witty comments," he told her as he walked closer to the river.

"Believe me, I won't." Silyah dipped one of her toes in the water. It was not freezing, but it was not particularly warm either. After she let her hair loose, she stepped in the river, hoping to quickly get used to its temperature.

Artemis was slightly more skeptical, standing on the rocks not too far from the shore.

"Let's go old man! If I can do it, so can you!" She smiled, trying to calm down her rapid heartbeat.

"_Old man,_ am I now?" asked Artemis.

"You know what I mean, _Mr. Twenty-first century_," she replied in Gnommish as she walked to the waterfalls, dampening her hair under them.

"Need shampoo?" The question came from behind the girl.

She turned around in a fast movement, unexpectedly sending her hair straight towards Artemis's face. Silyah placed a hand over her mouth. "I'm so sorry."

Taken aback, Artemis had fallen to his knees. A faint red line had appeared on his cheek. "I've never been slapped by hair before," he murmured.

Silyah got closer to him, wanting to help him up.

Artemis gave her a devilish grin, deliberately exaggerating his movements as he swam towards the girl, splashing a great deal of water on her.

"You did not!" laughed Silyah, cupping her hands to give him a taste of his own medicine, lightly pushing him in the process.

The water around them then formed a big wave as they moved and without any warning, the raven-haired boy disappeared under its surface.

At first, Silyah had expected him to get right back up… But he did not. "Artemis?" _What is it with Artemis and water?_ wondered Silyah. The two phenomenon combined would somehow always end up with her worrying

Then, as she began to search for him, a hand took hold of a nearby rock, followed by another. Slowly, Artemis emerged from the river, his jet-black hair smoothed back by the water.

"Don't ever do that again," said Silyah, eyeing Artemis's grin.

Artemis chuckled, an unusual good feeling settling upon him. "Were you worried for me?" he asked. The girl had no time to answer, for Artemis had brought a hand up to her hair, sliding a flower between her locks. An aremèsia, to be exact…

A slightly confused Silyah brushed the flower with the tip of her fingers. Bubbly foam formed under the aremèsia. "Is that what you were referring to when you asked me about shampoo earlier?"

Artemis nodded. "Yes, after a brief study, I came upon the fact that those flowers had the same properties as soap, making them soap plants."

"Well, thank you," she said, heading back to the waterfall, washing her hair using the aremèsia as she tried without much success to comb through the tangles on her head.

Now that she was actually paying attention to herself, Silyah noticed that she was in a pretty bad shape. She had countless bruises and minor scratches, added to the fact that most of her body parts ached. She briefly wondered why she had not even realized it before, but was rather thankful that she had not.

Beside the girl, Artemis also took the opportunity to contemplate the damage the arena had caused him. He had awful, though healing wounds on his shoulder and temple, a swollen ankle and multiple contusions, all of which were signs of his fall down a rocky cliff. Taking an aremèsia as a bar of soap, the boy carefully washed his injured skin in the hopes of eventually looking a little less battered.

* * *

Harbor looked behind him; Silver was still at his chase, but he had now lost Zinque. The boy from 4 smirked. He could try to fight the tough girl on his own. He began to run a little more rapidly. Harbor's strategy was to exhaust Silver as much as possible before fighting her, but apparently, she was also a good runner so he would have to lead her even farther in the forest before she ran out of energy.

The red-haired boy had found the District 6 tribute when he had heard her battling with Caskar. As much as he would have enjoyed helping Silver taking the obnoxious boy down, Harbor had made the tactical decision of going after her instead. After all, Caskar had just been beaten up pretty badly by a girl, so there was no real advantage in killing him on the spot. In order to act like a victor, he had to eliminate the strongest tribute first. The only thing was that the tables had turned and now, _she_ was the one at his pursuit.

Lost in his strategy, Harbor almost failed to see the blow dart that flew right by him. Distracted from his run, the young man tripped on a tree's root, falling down as Silver arrived behind him. Her blow cane was resting in her right hand and a brand new dart was in her left one.

Harbor quickly got back to his feet. There would be no more running from then on. The fight had begun. The boy looked around, searching for a weapon, or at least some type of shield; Silver had her blow cane, so he would have to find something that could be lethal in order to be on equal grounds with her. Harbor stopped his choice on a sturdy-looking branch and immediately ran in Silver's direction. His next move would be to rid the girl of her weapon.

Silver stood stoic in front of the District 4 boy as the hold she had on her cane began to tighten. Harbor hit the side of her arm with his branch. If only she could drop her weapon! It would be so much easier to kill her in hand-to-hand combat if she did so.

The District 6 girl gritted her teeth, but refused to let go of her cane no matter how hard Harbor would hit her with the branch. In a quick movement, she turned the end of her blow cane towards the boy, her new dart ready.

Now close enough to physically stop her, Harbor let go of his branch and grabbed Silver's upper arm between his hands. In one swift motion, the girl waved her blow cane in front of her, violently hitting Harbor on his nose. A thin line of blood ran down his face, dripping from his nostrils down to his chin. Harbor's reflexes took over his body, one of his hands letting go of Silver as it went to his broken, bleeding nose. The brown-haired girl thus took the opportunity offered to her and once again used her cane to hit her opponent, this time aiming at his armpit so that he would completely let her go. She then took another swing, hitting his stomach. Under the impact, the boy rolled on the ground, but did not take any break from the fight. He grabbed Silver's ankle and yanked on it, pulling her down. The District 6 girl's body hit the arena's soft soil, though she did not remain on the ground for too long.

Both of the opponents were now standing back up, panting in front of each other. Harbor wiped a film of blood from under his nose, rushing forward to punch Silver in the stomach. The girl crumbled down for a second time, gasping to catch her breath. She took a moment to block everything around her. Dying at this stage was not an option; she had come way too far to die now.

Harbor looked at Silver with a sly smile. He was waiting for her to get back up in order to get a better point of impact for his next punch.

Silver, on the other hand, looked at the ground, faking a horrible pain. With a quick glance upwards, she saw that Harbor was in a punching stance, his legs slightly apart to secure his balance. Acting as quickly as possible, the young woman slid on the ground and passed right through the space between the boy's feet. She had chosen this simple scheme for two reasons; the first one was that once she would get up, she would be able to attack Harbor from behind and the second one was that during her dive, she would have the opportunity to kick him right where it would hurt, which of course, she did with huge satisfaction.

Harbor completely froze after Silver's kick. "Argh!" he screamed. That was not fair play! Not at all!

Silver tightened her hold on her cane, bringing it in front of Harbor's neck as she placed her knee against the center of his spine.

Harbor's eyes went huge and his heart threatened to burst out of his chest when he finally realized what would be happening to him. His last impulse was to murmur a faint "_goodbye,_" only meant for his family to hear.

Silver had not heard it. Had she, she might have had taken the decision to let Harbor live for another day. However, the girl moved her hands back rapidly, bringing the cane along with them. Harbor's neck gave away with a "snap," much like his spine, which Silver's knee had pushed forward.

Once she knew that Harbor was over with, Silver moved back, letting the District 4 boy fall to the ground.

_That will teach him…_ thought Silver, already running away from her kill.


	31. Chapter Thirty, The Token

_**Chapter Thirty, The Token**_

"Stay still…" Silyah told Artemis. "Your face looks extremely funny when you wince."

"Well, if it wasn't for the alcohol-based antiseptic you're putting into my wounds, I would not be wincing," murmured Artemis.

"It's the only thing I had in my first aid kit." Silyah had insisted on disinfecting Artemis's wounds after their bath due to the fact that the arena water was not exactly the cleanest one. The boy was already on the road to recovery, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Besides, if the product did sting Artemis, it meant that there was still something going on in his closing cuts.

"So you told me. Please, just get done with it; this stings more than that blasted eyeliner!"

Silyah sighed as she moved away from Artemis. "There you go… Done." The girl set their newly washed clothes under the sun for them to dry and then sat back beside Artemis on the blanket she had laid on the ground.

Artemis observed her, his fingers lightly touching the scar on his forehead before going through his damp hair, which no longer looked like the smoothed back raven hair he was used to sport. It was strange to think that a few days ago, his prep team had been styling his hair and dressing him up… Yet, sitting under a birch tree shading them from the sun, the two District 3 tributes could have almost forgotten that they were in the Hunger Games. When it was not under tons of treacherous snow, the arena was actually a very beautiful place. Everything in it was so diversified that each look around the forest was like a trip around the world in itself… At least one would be sure to see something alluring before dying… _What a consolation._

As Artemis reflected upon the landscape, Silyah looked at him, studying the angles of his face; how the shadows and the light fell on his features.

The raven-haired boy slowly turned to face her. "You are aware of the fact that you are staring at me, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am…" she said, turning around to peel a layer of the birch tree's trunk. "I would like to try something…" She reached for the closest knife she could find.

Artemis sent her a dubious look. What had the girl in mind?

"Turn your head slightly towards your right."

The boy was about to ask her why, but decided to give Silyah the benefit of the doubt as she began to scratch parts of the birch's bark. By intervals, she focused on her task, then on Artemis's face.

The young man was now getting curious. What was she doing? "Silyah, what are –"

The girl made a "hush" sound and instructed Artemis not to move too much. "I'll tell you when you will be able to start moving again."

Artemis almost wanted to roll his eyes, but Silyah's instructions prevented him to do so. After all, one did not exactly avoid the orders of a girl with a knife. Or at least, that was the excuse Artemis had found to motivate the fact that he was actually obeying to someone.

After some time, Silyah smiled. "Okay… I can continue without needing you to stay still."

Intrigued, Artemis moved closer to Silyah in order to see what the girl had been doing.

"It's not quite done yet," she told Artemis as she handed him the piece of birch bark.

Artemis blinked. It was unmistakable; etched on the delicate makeshift paper was an exact replica of the boy's face. He handed it back to Silyah, amazed.

"I was inspired," she explained as she watched his reaction. "Do you like it?"

"Yes… You're very talented…" Artemis felt his heart beat get faster. Once again, that strange, foreign feeling had gotten hold of him, leaving him unsure of how to handle the situation.

"Thanks," smiled Silyah, going back to scratching parts of the bark, adding details to her portrait. She had drawn Artemis's face free of wounds, remembering the boy she had met on the train to the Capitol.

As Silyah finished off her etching, Artemis got to his feet, putting some order in the equipment which they had left a few meters away from the tree. The boy looked through each pockets of his backpack, making sure nothing had gotten lost since their departure from their first camp. Suddenly, something cold brushed his skin. Artemis picked it up, discovering a short silver chain. It was Silyah's bracelet. It did not look very expensive, though Artemis was sure that it was made of silver for it had not tarnished during its stay in the Games. A single charm was dangling from it; a delicate skeleton key with a small gemstone at its center.

Artemis walked back to Silyah, sitting down beside her. "You never told me about your token."

The girl looked from her finished drawing to the bracelet between Artemis's fingers. "Oh… It's not much, really," began Silyah. "I chose this bracelet as my token because it is the first thing that I bought with my own money, which I had earned by selling my electronic creations."

"Why a key?" wondered Artemis.

"I love keys, both for their utility and meaning. Keys in general have the power to protect whatever is dear to someone and skeleton keys can open any "door" coming one's way… There is the key to success, the key of happiness…"

Artemis nodded slowly. It made perfect sense.

"Mind if I take it back?" asked Silyah.

"No, of course not. It does belong to you."

Silyah exchanged the bracelet for the drawing she had been holding, letting Artemis observe it.

The boy took a closer look. He had to admit it; Silyah was skilled. Artemis could even see the difference in the shades of his eyes despite the fact that there was no color on the etching.

Silyah secured her bracelet around her wrist and placed her knife back where she had found it. She then leaned back beside Artemis, resting her shoulder against his.

Artemis briefly raised an eyebrow, taken by surprise, yet feeling oddly comfortable by this sudden proximity. After all, she had _kissed_ him before; leaning on him was surely allowed after that.

Artemis turned his head to his right, looking in the eyes that were staring back at him. With each ticking seconds, the space separating the District 3 tributes was getting smaller and smaller.

All of the sudden, a cannon rang in their ears, reminding the two teenagers of where they really were. They both straightened up their backs their hearts fluttering for a completely new reason.

"Six…" whispered Silyah.

Artemis instantly knew what that simple number had meant. Six tributes were remaining out of the original twenty-four. Things were closing in now…

Hearing cannons always made Silyah frantic, making her want to move and hide somewhere where she would be unseen and safe. The girl went to the sun-filled spot where she had set their clothes to dry. They were still a bit damp… They would have to wait ten more minutes or so before being able to do anything.

"Relax," Artemis's voice came from behind her. "Moving won't do us any good; danger could be around every corner. I think that we are rather safe here; we can stay a little longer."

Silyah took a deep breath and nodded. "I hate to feel like a prey," she said, walking back to Artemis to sit beside him.

"Well, the trick would then be to imagine you are the hunter," said Artemis.

Silyah smirked. "That's not so bad of a trick. Actually, you pull it off very well, _Artemis the Hunter._"

Artemis's vampire smiled faintly flashed on his face. "It seems that something good finally came out from having a girl's name.

"Truth be told, I have heard names way stranger than yours for boys."

"For some reason, I have no trouble believing in that statement."

"I like this aspect of you…" said Silyah softly, partly thinking out loud. "We can always trust each other… When I'm around you, I feel much calmer and a tad more sane."

"Some people say that two minds think better than one. Perhaps this might be the reason you feel calmer; you don't have to do all the thinking by yourself."

"Maybe." Whatever the reason was, one thing was for sure; Silyah enjoyed Artemis's company.

Once their clothes had dried and were back on their shoulders, the two tributes from District 3 decided that they would stay by the waterfalls for the rest of the day. Artemis had proposed to build a shelter and gather kindling of a small campfire while Silyah would be off to collect edible plants.

The girl approved of his plan, handed him the pile of blankets she had in her coat's back pocket and disappeared in the forest, where she hoped to find nourishing items.

After a few minutes of walk, Silyah had found a bundle of the roots Novia had shown her on the first day in the arena, but nothing more. Fortunately, there were plenty of these roots. Silyah thus began to gather the plants until her coat's pockets were entirely filled. She was just about to turn around to grab one last root when she heard a strange hissing sound.

Almost instantly, the girl froze. Now was certainly not the moment to make any sudden movements. Slithering on the ground was a slick creature with red eyes that seemed to stare at her way too intelligently for the animal that bore them. Barely daring to breathe, Silyah mentally crossed her fingers, hoping that the opalescent snake in front of her would turn away and leave her alone.

The girl stayed still for a long time, but the snake would simply not go away. It just stared at her, licking its eyeballs and hissing. Even though she was paralyzed by fear, Silyah was well aware that she would not be able to stay like that forever. The young woman closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and sprinted away from the snake… But it was too late. When she opened her eyes, the creature's fangs were already sunken deep into her calf. Silyah let out a muffled scream and shook her leg, stepping on the snake with her free feet. Her actions certainly did not give the results she had expected to get. Even though the snake had let go of her calf, she had not yet gotten rid of it; it had moved up her leg, biting her once again, this time in the lower part of her thigh. Silyah's screams became more and more audible as her panic level rose.

While she ran, the tail of the snake wrapped itself tighter around her leg, attacking her with each step she took. _If only I had something to – _Silyah stopped her thought mid-sentence, remembering the knives concealed in her boots. Trying to ignore the snake's repetitive attacks, the girl reached for one of her knives, pulling it out of her shoe. After multiple tries, she managed to slice part of the snake's tail, which finally made it let go of her.

Feeling the adrenaline rushing through her system, Silyah ran back to the camp so quickly that she barely believed her own feet. When she arrived by the waterfall, the first thing she saw was Artemis and the lack of tent at his side. The girl stopped to catch her breath before trying to ask the young man why he had not built the shelter yet.

"Shhh…" Artemis handed Silyah her bed sheets and one of her spears, covering his lips with the index finger of his free hand.

"What is going on?" mouthed Silyah.

Artemis rolled his eyes, grabbing Silyah's arm after having picked up his own backpack. Then, he dragged her away from the waterfall and into the forest. Silyah followed the boy to the best of her abilities, still out of breath due to her previous run. Artemis had not yet noticed the bite wounds on her legs… Good.

The young man led the way long into the woods and only stopped when he was sure that both Silyah and he were out of danger.

Tripping over her own feet, Silyah collapsed on the ground. She rolled on her back and concentrated on steadying her breath and lowering her pulse. "What is going on, Artemis?"

The boy's eyes searched the area and then, he leaned down beside Silyah. "Someone was coming. By his tone and the depth of his voice, it was Caskar. I assumed that you had no intention of encountering him."

Silyah sat up, supporting herself on her elbows. Her eyes caught a glimpse of a bloody patch on her skin as she stretched her legs in front of her. She quickly wiped it off while Artemis was not looking. "I don't think any of us want to see him alive any time soon…"

Silyah shook her head; Artemis's eyes reflected such a serious expression that there was no way to doubt the fact that he had heard Caskar. "Thought so," he murmured, taking his backpack off to go through it.

"Do we have everything?" wondered Silyah, slowly getting up to help Artemis search through their equipment.

"It seems that we do…" Artemis frowned, rummaging through the backpack, not finding what he was looking for.

"What weapons did you pick up?"

"Your spear and my bow…" said the boy, not really paying attention to the girl.

Silyah picked up the items Artemis handed her and then reached for her water bottle. Her pulse and breathing were still uneven and worrying. Even with the training she had received, she was not in the best of shapes.

Artemis, on the other hand, seemed to get frustrated as he searched through his pockets.

Silyah noticed his expression, getting slightly alarmed. "What's missing?" There was no point in denying that something important had been forgotten beside the waterfall.

Artemis turned towards Silyah, one of his hands resting where his gold coin usually hung. "My token," he said with a strangled voice.

The girl did not even have the time to react; Artemis had already picked up his bow, running right back to where they had come from.

_Are you crazy? This is like suicide! _Silyah wanted to scream her thoughts at the top of her lungs, but judged best not to do so considering that Caskar could have been near. Instead, she clenched her spear and attempted to follow Artemis. He was certainly not going to die right in front of her again.

Artemis knew what he was doing and how dangerous it was, but the coin was all he had from his own time; all he had from _her_.

Silyah soon found that she would not be able to keep up with Artemis. She crumbled against a tree, feeling her pulse pound in her legs and chest. She could not do anything anymore, but breathe and watch her scarlet blood drip from her bite marks.

* * *

Artemis had now reached his destination, taking cover behind a thick tree as he caught sight of a strong-looking boy, mere meters away from him.

Despite his muscular stature, Caskar's hands were now twitching. He was frantically looking around him, as though surrounded by enemies. In fact, no matter where he laid his eyes, a squirrel would always be at the corner of his vision. Something in his mind was beginning to turn horribly wrong, but there was nothing he could do about it…

Artemis looked at the tall boy for a long time, scrutinizing each of his movements in order to see if a distraction would be necessary for him to have the time to find his token. After less than a minute, a possible plan of action bloomed in Artemis's mind. Keeping his bow and an arrow within reach, Artemis inched forward, being as silent as possible…

"There you are," grinned Caskar. For the time it took for Artemis's heart to speed up drastically, the boy from 1 laughed with an odd groggy voice… Then, as Artemis was about to let go of an arrow, the Career launched forward, the knife in his hand digging into the ground about two feet in front of him. "Argh!" he screamed as the tiny squirrel he had been chasing leaped away, avoiding his blade.

Artemis relaxed his arm, putting his arrow away as he raised an eyebrow, briefly wondering what was wrong with the District 1 boy… Fortunately, whatever it was, it would allow Artemis to find his coin without the necessity of a distraction.

The raven-haired teen therefore slowly made his way over to the tree Silyah and he had been resting under, hoping that Caskar would remain busy with his own issues. Finding the coin took Artemis about three seconds, including the time it took for him to hang it around is neck where it would always stay from now on. The coin had been beside the sets of spears and arrows Artemis had left behind. Giving them a good look, the boy bent down, judging that a few more weapons would do no harm to his team.

In the middle of his fight with the invisible animal, Caskar's grin got wider. Just in front of him; under a birch tree… _He _was there, picking up sticks on the ground… All of a sudden, the squirrel that had been harassing the District 1 boy disappeared, letting him focus on the pale teenager a few meters away from him. Caskar felt the handle of his new, still unused killing knife slide into the palm of his hand.

"Fowl," whispered the Career under his breath before struggling unsuccessfully against a fit of laughter. As soon as he became able to control his voice, Caskar stealthily walked towards Artemis… When he got close enough, he sprinted forward and quickly slid a hand around the frail boy's throat.


	32. Chapter Thirty-One, Arrow to the Knee

_**Chapter Thirty-One, Arrow to the Knee**_

Artemis gasped, feeling Caskar's strong fingers around his neck. Clearly, his moment of distraction had not lasted long enough. The pale boy moved around, trying to force Caskar's fingers open with his own, even though they were far from having the required strength.

Seeing his opponent's weak fighting attempts, the District 1 boy began to laugh. He tightened his grip on Artemis's neck and struggled with his pant's pockets to get his knife out. When he would get back to the Capitol, he would make sure that the stylist who had designed the outfit would get fired!

Buying some time, Caskar dug his nails in Artemis's skin, his laughter becoming even more loud and disturbing, perhaps betraying some type of mental trouble.

Between Caskar's hands, Artemis was now twisting, desperately trying to make an escape. The boy gritted his teeth, finding it harder than ever to conceal the pain he was feeling.

_Not today, _thought Artemis,_ I will certainly not die today_. The young man lifted his right foot and hurled it back down – heel first – on his captor's toes.

The tall boy sneered, merely bothered by Artemis's attack, especially because now, his dagger was ready. In a matter of a few seconds, Caskar would either slash the boy's throat or stab him in the back. The boy from District 1 took a first swing, but just as the tip of his blade was about to touch Artemis's neck, the Career's hand was stopped in motion by the spear the raven-haired boy had retrieved. Caskar struggled against the stick until it snapped in two, losing the grip he had on his dagger, but also the one he had on Artemis. As the weapon flew a few meters away from the two opponents, the District 3 tribute took the opportunity to break free, running straight back to where he had come from.

As quickly as he could manage it, Caskar picked up his dagger and went after Artemis. He was certainly not going to let him go without blood being shed.

Artemis Fowl was not a runner; it was one of the many things he knew he would be forced to pay back for at some point in his life and that point was apparently in a very close future. Nevertheless, with Caskar being partially delusional, the boy from the past still had a chance of defeating and outsmarting him… If only he could get some distance from the District 1 boy; Caskar was at his heels, now armed with two knives and still laughing like a maniac.

Artemis could not exactly see where he was running, but took a quick turn to the left, plunging deeper in the forest. Branches flew by the adversaries's faces, bugs buzzed around them and strange creatures looked at the pair as they ran… One of those creatures being an opalescent reptile hissing in a shelter of moss and vines… In a split second, Caskar froze, feeling the snake's eyes on him.

Artemis became aware of the Career's stillness and quickly ducked behind a large rock, which could hopefully conceal him completely. He felt his heart pound so rapidly in his chest that for a moment, he was sure that its beat would give him away.

Cautiously, Caskar took a few steps back, keeping his eyes on the snake. "Where did you go?" he shouted, giving side-glances around the forest to find his foe. He had stopped laughing and his expression had turned into a serious mask. From the corner of his eye, he then saw the opalescent snake slither away, causing him to crack a mischievous grin. "When I will find you, you will be more than dead," said the Career with an odd tone, which was both soft and aggressive at the same time. He circled the area around him with his gaze one last time before suddenly launching forward, brandishing his knives in front of everything he thought was moving, including a few invisible squirrels.

Artemis felt his heart beat in his throat and pound in his ears. His eyes slowly moved from Caskar to the objects in his hand, as though the tall boy could discover his plan if his gaze moved too rapidly. _That is completely irrational,_ thought Artemis as his hazel and deep blue eyes landed upon his bow and arrow.

"Ah, ha… I know where you are… I found you Fowl," bluffed Caskar, relying on the fact that maybe, Artemis would crumble the pressure of being hunted.

Artemis smiled, not exactly fooled by the Career's plan. _Imagine that you are the hunter… _His own advice to Silyah resonated in his mind over and over again. _Believe that _you_ are hunting _him. _You have the advantage;_ you _know where he is and he doesn't have a clue about where you are. _Or at least, Artemis hoped that the Career didn't know his exact location.

The pale teenager drew one long breath through his mouth as he raised his bow and drew its string back. Carefully, he peeked out of his hiding place, aiming at Caskar's right leg, right above his knee.

The tribute from 1 saw the arrow pass right beside him as his opponent released it and his grin gradually widened. Now, he knew where Artemis was. The Career approached the large rock behind which he was sure the District 3 boy was hidden… However, whatever kind of cruel and brutal death Caskar had planned for Artemis would have to wait; somehow, the slender teenager had loaded a new arrow on his bow and that very arrow had now entered Caskar's right knee at full velocity.

Caskar's shocked gaze went down to the projectile in his leg. All of the sudden, he began to shake his painful limb in every direction, trying to shoo away the fuzzy brown squirrel that was dancing on top of it, unaware that he had been hallucinating the animals ever since he had been knocked out by Silver.

With Caskar now dealt with, Artemis got up and backed away quickly, running as far as he could from the Career. After a few meters, he turned around, just in case his foe might have miraculously managed to follow him, but fortunately, there was no one at his chase. Caskar was actually way too busy with another severe fit of hallucinations to even be able to notice that Artemis had fled.

The raven-haired boy therefore kept on going further in the forest, not bothering to pay much attention to the tree branches around him, resulting in a few scratches on his hands and a deep red line on the right side of his jaw. Nevertheless, Artemis carried on until he finally caught a glimpse of Silyah. He was still at a reasonable distance from her when he felt his legs give up on him and collapsed on the ground, breathing fast.

As soon as she saw him, Silyah headed for Artemis. She wanted to run back to him and make sure that he was safe and sound, but instead, she only managed to stumble towards the boy. Her own breathing sequence was nearly as abnormal as Artemis's… Most likely an effect of her snakebite… When she reached Artemis, she sat beside him, letting him rest for a little while before hugging him.

"I'm so glad you are alive!" She tightened her grip on him to then let him go in order to look in his mismatched eyes. "But that was very stupid."

Artemis opened his eyes, looking at his companion. "You know what it means to me," he replied, pointing to his coin, completely oblivious of the fact that for the first time in his life, one of his ideas had been called "stupid."

"Yes, but do you know what _your life_ means to me right now?"

The boy smiled faintly. "I am starting to realize it."

There was a moment of silence during which Silyah brushed Artemis's hand with her own and then, the girl took a deep breath followed by a sigh. "So… Do you think it's safe to build our camp here?"

"Yes, Caskar is too busy with… I am not quite sure with _what_, but I am confident that he will not try track us anytime soon."

Silyah swallowed back a lump of worry. "How did you get away?"

"I shot him in the knee."

"Oh, dear…" whispered Silyah, shaking her head as she attempted one of her smiles. "You actually injured him?" she asked with an ounce of humor in her voice.

"Well, he was trying to _kill_ me…"

"Then good thing you had those arrows close by," she said, giving Artemis's shoulder a gentle nudge.

"Which reminds me; we should get the camp ready and find some food before nightfall," remarked Artemis, getting to his feet.

Silyah pulled out some roots from her pockets. "I've got the food part covered."

"Good, but I had in mind something with a little more meat in it…"

"Do you want to give hunting a try while I build the tent?"

"Yes, why not… Practice never hurts."

Silyah nodded in acknowledgement and began to build a new camp, always keeping an eye on Artemis in case he might be trying to hide an injury.

In the mean time, the boy took something out of his bag; a small metal box… The truffles to be exact… The raven-haired teenager gave Silyah a grin when he noticed her puzzled expression and then, he left, heading for the woods nearby. His bow and truffle box in hands, Artemis walked into the woods until he found a suitable spot and then, he laid a single truffle on the soft grass of the arena. It was not too long before a pair of rather large birds landed by the piece of chocolate and it took even less time for one of them to start picking at the truffle. As Artemis shot the second bird, the first one stepped away from the dessert, letting go of a strange choked chirp before suddenly dropping dead. _Well, that was effective and quite educative, _mused Artemis, carefully collecting the two feathered creatures.

When he got back with his catch, Silyah shot the boy an incredulous look. "Let me guess; you attracted them with the poisoned truffles?"

Artemis smirked, displaying a huge level of satisfaction. "Yes," he replied, "Fortunately for us, those truffles contain a substance which make them enticing to any living being, as proven by this bird. Also, the death of this creature, which we will certainly not eat, allowed me to calculate the exact strength of the poison, as well as how it would affect an average human being," he explained, turning his gaze to the sky. "So thank you," he added in Gnommish.

* * *

Back in the Gamemaker's room, the dark-haired lady, the one who called herself _Belinda Zito_, was not particularly happy.

_How insolent!_ In the last few minutes of the Games, she had seen her own opal snake mutation distract Caskar from Artemis, and now, the boy was using _her_ poisoned truffles to find food.

Furiously following Havensbee's protocol, she watched over the small-scale digital replica of the arena in front of her, pondering about her next move. Her only hope of getting rid of Artemis Fowl once and for all was Kalheb. It had not been a coincidence that both the District 9 boy and the District 3 female had been bitten by the lovely opal snake she had created…

"Plutarch!" she spat. "Have you taken my idea of the feast in consideration?" she asked him with a slightly sweeter tone.

The Head Gamemaker looked up from his monitor. "Yes, Ms. Zito, I did."

Belinda cleared her throat, waiting for a more consistent reply. "We might use it if the tributes you have in mind are still alive at the moment of the feast," nodded Plutarch.

Belinda smirked in delight. One of the District 3 tributes would have to die one way or another if Kalheb played his part right…

* * *

"What an action packed day we had up to date!" exclaimed Caesar cheerfully. "First off, Caskar Tristol and Silver Canemon finally met up after a whole week in the arena, however, their encounter was probably not what those two had expected… The tributes brawled for a moment until Caskar fell and someone else searching for a good fight interrupted Silver."

"Unfortunately for Harbor Pearl, his fight with Silver ended up being his last one," continued Claudius. "Then, later on, after a lovely morning vacation by a waterfall, Silyah and Artemis split up to find food and shelter, a decision which lead to a breath-taking confrontation – pardon the pun. The young District 3 girl was actually attacked by a reptile – probably the same one that had taken a bite out of Kalheb yesterday, while a delusional Caskar found out the emplacement of the District 3 camp."

"Here we go again…" said Beetee, his face deeply buried in his palm. Despite his despair, he had to admit that his tributes were giving a good show; they were always there to save the other in perilous situations, however, they probably were the ones who hung around trouble the most often.

"Oh my goodness!" screamed Ilranor. "Do not go back in there…" whispered the stylist, squeezing Effie's freshly manicured hand as she watched Artemis head back to the waterfall.

"You know, the tributes cannot hear you through the television," said Beetee, his ear still slightly ringing after Ilranor's shrill exclamation.

Effie made a "hush" sound; Caskar had found Artemis and she did not want to miss a single second of what might happen next. _This is not good at all,_ she thought.

Silyah could not come and save Artemis this time; she was having her own fight with her body, which was not in the best of shapes and certainly not cooperating with what her brain was telling it to do. There was no doubt about it; the snake that had bit her had been a poisonous one and she would need medicine really soon in order to have the slightest chance of survival.

Beetee adjusted his spectacles and looked up to the screen. With luck, Artemis would not die too painfully, thought the mentor as he watched his tribute brawl. Yet, when all hope seemed to have been lost, the pale boy managed to make his opponent drop his weapon, resulting in one collective and astonished gasp from the District 3 team. The two boys then chased each other through the forest until the odds turned in Artemis's favor; a white snake with red eyes had slithered by the pair, distracting Caskar from his prey. Both the District 1 and District 3 mentors could not believe their eyes. If Caskar had not been subject to delusions, he would not have interrupted his chase, but considering the current circumstances, Artemis had a chance to escape… And apparently, he was just about to take that chance. Hidden behind a rock, the boy drew his bowstring and shot two arrows. The first one missed his target and the second one quickly found Caskar's leg.

"That was –" Caesar Flickerman could not find the right words. "Ladies and gentlemen, Artemis Fowl cheated death once again!" he finally said as Caskar was pulled back in his own world to battle fake furry enemies and as Artemis ran back to Silyah.

"I wonder what will happen when these two will be forced to _part ways_," pondered Claudius. "Given the fact that the rule about the two victors from the same District has been abolished right before the 75th Hunger Games, Artemis and Silyah's time together is getting shorter and shorter."

Ever since Katniss and Peeta, the Capitol highly despised relationships within the Games, but the audience of the show, on the other hand, craved for them. Hunger Games couples were usually extremely popular, even in the districts, so Caesar and Claudius often found themselves exploiting the complicity between the District 3 tributes. After all, it would soften the impact of the twenty-three televised deaths in the more rebellious districts.

"They are not and _should not_ be a couple," whispered Beetee, his comment rendered quite ironic considering that Silyah was currently wrapping her arms around Artemis.


End file.
